


I Put a Spell on You (and Now You're Mine)

by Lotto95



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Happy Ending, hocus pocus au, idiots in love (eventually)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-05 17:42:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 50,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20492717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lotto95/pseuds/Lotto95
Summary: Emma Swan doesn't believe in magic. Particularly, she doesn't believe in the infamous sinister story of The Mills Sisters - three witches who had been killed over three hundred years ago and that supposedly could be brought back to life by the means of a black flame candle. So, she doesn't think twice about lighting said candle. What's the worst that could happen?Hocus Pocus AU.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [I put a spell on you (ART)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20485241) by [RegalLady36](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RegalLady36/pseuds/RegalLady36). 
  * Inspired by [I put a spell on you {art}](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20331937) by [Corasparasol (LastVerse)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LastVerse/pseuds/Corasparasol). 

> Firstly, a massive shout out the to the mods, because without you all this wouldn't be possible! Thank you for all you do for the Swan Queen fandom. 
> 
> Secondly, I was so lucky this year to get paired with two incredible artists, so please do check out those pieces and shower them with love, kudos and comments. It's the least they deserve. 
> 
> And last but not least, a massive thank you to Zelene. I doubt I'd ever finish one of these fics without your endless support. Forever grateful for all you have done for me.

_Wisps of smoke steadily ascended into the air, the tendrils spiralling in time to a hushed muttering. The greyness caught the eye of an unsuspecting young girl. She stopped sweeping, holding the brush between clasped hands and gazed out through the window. Her bared toes curled on the wooden floor, knotted hair resting on her shoulders as she gawked. Her chest shuddered once before her head twisted sharply, a soft cry leaving her lips. _

_“Get to work, girl.” _

_Her hand came up to cover the sting on her cheek, and she lowered her eyes then began to sweep. She knew better than to mention the crackling of leaves that left ash in their wake. The man tugged at his shirt as the brush swept—swept—swept. The smoke grew foggy, the voices muttering louder and louder. The man squinted, the hairs on his arms raising. _

_The crackle of fire increased. Sweep—crackle—sweep—crackle—sweep. _

_He pushed through the door, booted feet trudging on the sodden grass. The path from his cabin_ _ was covered in footprints, leading directly to the flames crawling up the trunk of the tree. It coiled around a branch, disintegrating it at the root, the weight toppling the rest to the ground. _

_Three women stood around the tree, their arms raised towards it as they muttered nonsensical words. The woman in a deep purple dress closed her eyes, lips mumbling and fingers dancing in tune to the fire. The one in black lowered her arms as the fire spread from the tree and upwards, almost like a barricade. A red-haired woman in green turned her head, caught the man’s eye and winked. _

_He stumbled backwards, limbs wind milling as he ran away from the dreaded sight, calling, “Witch! Witch!” and banged on doors and called forwards those in the village. _

_Commotion grew along with the fire, but when he turned the women were gone, leaving only flames and destruction and a tree burning to the ground. And still, the young girl swept—swept—swept, a tiny smirk flittering across her lips now the view was of wonderous flames rather than the hanging tree and the whispers of the dead women left behind. _

_The year was 1693, the Salem trails but a whisper behind closed doors. For six long months the hanging tree had stood tall in the centre of the village, a single piece of rope twisted around a branch. It had dangled, mostly still, until gentle winds would cause it to sway. _

_When it went up in flames a collective sigh travelled through the women of Salem. _

_Until… _

_Until the men grabbed their pitch forks and torches and the women could do nothing but march beside them. _

_A single file of men ran from the well to the tree, where filled buckets passed from dirt covered hands, reaching the last man who tipped it over the flames to no avail. A group went around the village holding rope and weapons. _

_The children were hushed away, into the care of a few women who could hardly hide the fear from their faces, even if a swell of pride had been lit like a match inside their chests. One young boy wrestled with his mother, his face dirty and clothes torn. His mother shushed him and yanked at his arm, her wide eyes glancing at the fire steadily crawling outwards. _

_It was the flicker that saw her hands go slack, that allowed him to yank free, half run half stumble backwards, sideways, then through the wall of the fire. A sharp cry pitched into the air, followed by the whispers of a child’s nursery song that caught in the wind: _

_Come little children_

_I’ll take thee away, into a land _

_Of enchantment. _

_Come little children_

_The time’s come to play_

_Here in my garden _

_Of shadows._

_Intertwined with the song was that of a mother’s cry. She wouldn’t take consoling, running straight through the fire and didn’t stop until she eventually found the witches’ cabin. A warm glow flickered in the window. There was strained whispering that would be shouting if they weren’t trying to be discrete and the shadows of the women moved as they danced around each other. _

_The dark-haired woman in the purple dress stopped at the window, eyes startling as their gazes met. Her tongue pressed into the scar of her upper lip before she shook her head, moving quickly towards the door. The mother, however, turned and raced through the field and yelled until her lungs felt dry and empty. _

_It didn’t take long for the villagers to surround the cabin, for the three women to have their hands tied behind their backs and a noose around each of their necks. Refusing to talk, each barrel was pushed, their bodies sagging then swinging almost gently as their legs dangled in the air. _

_There was no sign of the boy, however, and the mother had vanished after alerting the mob. All that remained was a book sealed shut within a glass case, a flickering candle and a cat as white as snow. _

“And no one ever knew what became of them,” August said.

He smiled at his class, gaze falling over each captivated student whilst, at the back of the room, Emma rolled her eyes and slumped on her chair. Usually she loved this writing class, but she hated Halloween almost as much as any other holiday of the year. She didn’t have any fond nostalgic memories like everyone else seemed to have. Her pen tapped against the pad of paper and she placed her cheek in her hand, sighing deeply.

The tutor clapped his hands and grinned. “Now,” he continued. “Before their deaths there are rumours that they cast a spell. One that would allow them to return on All Hallows Eve if—” His arms lifted into the air, a sly grin spreading. “The destined saviour lights the black flame candle. One that has been locked within their cabin for centuries.” 

“Ay,” a guy wearing far too much leather said. “They say when this saviour will appear?” He glanced over his shoulder and winked. Emma slid further down in her seat, cheeks flaming and tried to concentrate on this ridiculous lesson and not on how much that idiot needed to be knocked out. She’d had one too many ‘accidental’ run ins with that boy recently, but if she gave into her desire to connect her fist to his face she could say goodbye to her scholarship.

“Sadly no,” the professor said. He walked towards the board and pointed towards a picture of an old looking book. It was brown and had an ugly eye on the cover. “It is said the prophecy lies within this.” He tapped the wall for emphasis. “Unfortunately—”

“The book is locked in a case within the witch’s cabin.”

“Correct, Ruby.”

The girl beamed, leaning both elbows on her desk as if she needed a closer look. Her dark hair with red stripes ran down the length of her back, stopping where the shirt had rolled up, revealing a small amount of skin and the hint of a tattoo. Emma bit her lip, slowly lifting her gaze only to discover Ruby had twisted her head and was looking right at her. She smirked and wiggled her eyebrows.

Burning red again, Emma cleared her throat and turned her eyes back to the tutor. The action had his eyes fall towards the back of the class.

“Anything you’d like to add, Emma?” He smiled encouragingly in his casual suit, the tie in its usual slackened position. The last thing she wanted was to come up short, but the story seemed completely insane. Everyone knew the women during the witch trails were innocent, so, even if this incident occurred after the trails had ended, there was still no reason to believe witches had existed.

“Err—" she rubbed the back of her neck and chuckled lightly. “It makes a good story, but…you don’t actually believe it, do you?”

All eyes swung to her and she slid down her seat as far as she could possibly go. The reminder of why she rarely voiced her opinions came with the unending gazes of people she hardly knew.

All August did, however, was chuckle softly. “We have a disbeliever amongst us.” Emma smiled tightly, wishing the attention would fade away. “On that note, I have an assignment for all of you. Re-write their story. And believe every word you write no matter how far-fetched they seem. Because if you don’t believe it, no one else will.”

With that he dismissed the class and Emma hurried out the doors, but not quick enough to avoid the fingers that gripped her bicep. Her body jerked at the touch, yet she was unable to do anything other than spin, coming face to face with the jerk in the leather.

“Watch it.” She glared until his grip loosened, not caring about attracting attention within the corridor. “Dude, I’m not interested.”

He shrugged as if those words were as meaningless to him as decent hygiene. Emma crinkled her nose and took a step away.

“No need to be so defensive, Swan. I only wanted to ask if you were going to the party at town hall.”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, intending to spend the night catching up on reading and getting started on this assignment. It could be fun, she surmised, rewriting history based on witches and magic. She even had the urge to transform them from evil to good; who said all witches were inherently bad anyway?

“Someone as dashing as me can’t tempt you?” He winked. “It’s only a matter of time.”

Pushing through the heard of students, Ruby materialized and dropped an arm over Emma’s shoulders like they’d been best friends for years. “She’s busy tonight. Isn’t that right, Em?”

“Mm-Hm.”

The pair gave him the fakest of smiles until he huffed and moved down the hall. Once he was out of sight Emma gave Ruby a quick thanks, not thinking Ruby would hand over her phone. “Put your number in. I’m having a party tonight and it’d be a blast if you came.”

Emma gulped and glanced towards her converse. “I don’t really do parties,” she muttered. The phone hung between them, regardless, and Emma found herself unable to do anything but take it. By the time the contact was added her lips had morphed into a little smile. She handed it back over with a bounce on her heels.

“If you change your mind,” Ruby said, followed by a ping in Emma’s phone that had an address and a smiley emoji. “Feel free to bring a friend or… a girlfriend.”

Emma’s head shot up. Ruby chuckled and nudged her arm. “My gaydar is impeccable.” Emma went to open her mouth, shutting it at Ruby’s wink. “Plus, you checking me out was a bit of a giveaway.”

“Sorry.” Emma smiled sheepishly, but Ruby laughed and gently placed a hand on her bicep. She squeezed once before letting go.

“Don’t be. I’m hot as shit. Be rude not to take a sneaky peak.”

Emma wrung her hands together and managed a half shrug, half nod. Of course, Ruby was drop dead gorgeous, but she was either straight or in a relationship, no doubt. Dating wasn’t Emma’s area of expertise anyway and at the young age of twenty-one, had already accepted her chances of finding anyone to be non-existent.

“It’s at my place. I’ve only invited people I trust, and I could imagine a party would be better than being serenaded by that jerk.”

Emma smirked. “More like stalked.”

“If parties aren’t for you then maybe we could hang sometime.”

“Yeah?”

In the two years since she’d attended this collage Emma had managed to make all of zero real friends. There was this guy she’d met in one of her classes during freshman year who was quieter than Emma, and they would occasionally meet at the library to study and pass notes, but other than that, she was alone.

“Of course. And maybe I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah, maybe.”

Perhaps she meant it, too. 

* * *

With half a banana in her left hand, the other half rolled inside Emma’s mouth. Juggling the stack of books tucked beneath her arm, she fumbled for the key then shoved her shoulder on the door to her dorm. The heel of her foot kicked the door shut then she unceremoniously dropped the books onto the end of her messy bed.

The room was empty. The Halloween costume that had been hanging over the wardrobe was gone. It looked like Emma would have the dorm to herself for the evening, something that was both elating and caused a small twist in her gut. Kathryn, her roommate, had been easy to get along with, so long as her things remained untouched and Emma new when to make herself scarce, but they hadn’t connected in these past couple of months.

The only thing that connected them was the small polaroid picture that had been stuck on Kathryn’s wall above her bed. There was a good dozen of them, in fact, group pictures from parties, one where Kathryn and her friends were in life jackets, hair soaked and stood beside a canoe, and one with a picture of the pair on the day they had moved in together. Emma had smiled into Kathryn’s old-fashioned camera thinking perhaps this would be the start of a friendship.

Considering this was to be their third year, however, Kathryn already had a group of friends and Emma would mumble about meeting people from class then spend her time between a café or the library. Kathryn didn’t ask questions and Emma didn’t prod.

Emma chucked the banana skin into the trash can under her desk then flopped onto her bed. She pulled out her phone where the face of her current celebrity crush stared back at her, but of course, no new messages or missed calls.

Figuring a distraction would be for the best, Emma dragged her chair up to her desk and opened the second-hand laptop. It wheezed whilst loading, but eventually she managed to begin her research on these formidable witches.

Emma snorted. Formidable? They were likely unsuspecting women who had gone against what had been expected of them and sentenced to death for nothing more than existing. Still, she pulled up an article detailing what August had referred to as ‘the infamous night of flames’ before going into his story.

“The witches were believed to have created the fire that destroyed a village and killed countless. No one was spared their wrath, not the men, women, or children – accounts edict that a young boy was lured into their cabin of horrors with horrific burns on his body, but what happened to the boy or his parents is a mystery.”

A figure smashed against her window. Emma jumped, heart accelerating and breathing a little laboured when she whipped her head towards the glass. The skeleton fell, and Emma let out the breath. “Idiots,” she muttered. The laughter roared from outside, but she pulled her concentration back to the screen:

“The deadliest of the trio, their ring leader, was rumoured to have been having an illicit affair with a well-known figure of the time. Shortly afterwards, he was found dead, his mouth sewn shut, no doubt to keep him from revealing her secrets even in the afterlife.”

Emma shivered, quickly scrolling down:

“Her sister was known for her brewery of potions, able to conjure up just the right concoction to get anyone to do her bidding.”

“The third sister is rumoured not to be a sister at all, but a witch who was lured to join their coven due to her power and ruthless nature. On the night of flames, when terror was raining down on the entire village, it is said she was so cruel and self-serving that she abandoned her baby girl to perish in the fire. If said rumours are to be believed, the child was the last remaining witch in her line and with both of their deaths, their blood line ended.”

Emma closed the article. A loud bang exploded against her window. She flinched, whipping her head towards it. A colourful liquid spread over the glass, trickling down like raindrops.

“Assholes.”

Her phone chimed, and Emma was quick to reach for her abandoned phone. **You better get your cute ass here Swan – R. **

Emma smirked then glanced around her dingy room and bare walls, quickly tapping against the screen without hesitation.

* * *

Inside Ruby’s insanely large house, after Emma had been given a quick tour, she had been left to fend for herself. With a red cup in one hand, Emma shuffled at the bottom of the stairs next to the giant bowl of candy, sipping on her drink and nibbling on a packet of M&Ms.

The foyer was decorated with a deep red carpet, a chandelier, and what appeared to be a marble spiralling staircase at the edge of the room. There were also cobwebs, glittering ghosts hanging from the ceiling and a giant zombie stood beside the kitchen door.

A plastic sheet hung over the partway leading into the main room with the words _beware _and fake blood splotches. Behind it a soft glow and shadows accompanied loud, unending, looping music. Emma muttered along to the words, one hand slipping into her jacket pocket.

A couple with their hands twined staggered from the kitchen, one dressed in a cat suit and the other a ripped shirt with fake gashes. They laughed softly, gulping their drinks and the cat swayed her hips. Emma smiled tightly, slipping her hand from inside her jacket, but the pair moved on without a glance, shoving the plastic out of the way and joining the party.

For a brief second she contemplated leaving, but the glow was enticing, so she knocked back the drink then decided to go in search of Ruby who would no doubt be dancing away. It didn’t matter if she wore jeans and a tank whilst everyone else had made the effort, she was here and Ruby had wanted her to be. Emma thought so, at least, but before she had the courage to do either, a woman in a yellow puffy dress descended the stair case.

Her eyes were kind, and the smile soft. “Everything okay?” she asked in a thick Australian accent. Emma nodded shakily, discarding of the cup next to the giant candy bowl. “Parties not your thing either?”

“Not really.”

There were a million and one things Emma would much prefer to be doing right then. Anything from studying to getting lost inside a book, so long as she didn’t have to stand on the outskirts, unable to find that connection that seemed to separate her from everyone else. She shrugged and offered a lopsided smile at the kind stranger.

“Let me guess,” she said. “Ruby invited you then disappeared shortly afterwards?”

“Erm…yeah.”

Emma chuckled nervously, but the woman laughed along, and some tension left Emma’s shoulders. She bounced on her heels and tried to think of a question, of something she could say that wouldn’t sound stupid and turn this moment sour.

“She did this last year,” Belle said. 

“Did what?” Ruby asked, walking beside Emma and towards the other woman. She wrapped an arm around her waist, the yellow dress crinkling slightly, then planted a kiss against her cheek. “This is Belle,” she said, eyes on Emma. “My girlfriend.”

Ah, in a relationship, then. Emma gave a little awkward wave as if they hadn’t been chatting for these past couple of minutes.

“And this is Emma,” Ruby said. “We have the writing class together.”

“Oh!” Belle grinned. “I heard you made a spectacle in class.”

“Wait. What?”

Ruby gave her a shit eating grin and half assed shrug. “Belle’s a history major. And has a lady boner for the witches.”

That earned Ruby a slight slap on the arm. “Hey!”

Ruby grinned, “It’s true.”

“But the witches aren’t,” Emma said.

The pair looked at her with disbelief, and Emma wanted to roll her eyes and debate about how wrong they must be, but she also wanted to make friends, so she just shrugged and tried to act indifferent.

“Perhaps we could prove it to you,” Belle said. “You ever been up to the cabin?”

“Why would an old cabin change my mind?” Emma asked.

“You’ll see.” Belle turned to Ruby with an apologetic smile. “You know this isn’t really my thing.”

Ruby rolled her eyes over dramatically. “This party can host itself,” she said, giving Belle’s side a squeeze. “And do you really think I’d miss out on the chance to prove someone wrong?”

“I just need to change real quick.”

“You up for it, Swan?” Ruby asked.

When the choice was between being alone, feeling alone in a crowd of people or visiting an old cabin on Halloween, it wasn’t really a choice at all.

“Sure,” she said, enthusiasm spreading through her chest.

* * *

It hadn’t been too difficult to get inside the cabin, not once Ruby had pulled a pin from her hair and Emma had picked the lock with ease. They’d given Emma questioning glares, though Ruby’s was more mildly impressed, but she’d shrugged it off and dared them to go inside first in the hopes they would be too distracted to ask any questions.

The cabin was as old as expected, cobwebs in the corners and dust on every surface. The windows had been filled in with glass, though dirt covered them so you could hardly see outside. Next to the door was a staircase that none of them had wanted to brave, so the small upstairs remained a mystery, even if all they were likely to find were a few rusty beds.

A bookcase rested at the back of the room, though it contained more bottles with unexplainable liquids than books. A caldron lay in the middle, one Emma was certain must have been added for dramatic effect, and along with a few tables, was this glass case.

Emma swiped her finger along the dust then glanced inside. “What exactly does this prophecy say?”

The case held a book. The same book that had been photographed and stuck on the wall by August during the class. It didn’t mean all that much in terms of proof, however, but Emma still tapped a finger nail against the cover to see if the ugly eye would reveal itself. She sighed when nothing happened.

“The prophecy says that one day on All Hallows Eve someone will light the black flame candle bringing the witches back to life.” Belle smiled from where she had been running her finger tips over the books. “Once they’re back they have forty-eight hours to break themselves free from the candle’s spell before it takes them back to the grave.”

Ruby chuckled from where she sat on the bottom step of the staircase. “Ominous,” she said then continued with the rocking back and forwards to access its suitability to hold weight. She glanced up the staircase before deciding it wasn’t worth the risk.

“If it’s in this book,” Emma said. “How did anyone know about it to begin with?”

“The villagers,” Belle said. “The witches told them of their plan just before their deaths and it has been known since.” She slammed a book shut. A cloud of dust floated into the air. She sneezed, rubbed her itchy nose on her shoulder and shoved the book back into the case.

Emma shook her head. “But August said the witches refused to talk.”

“Then he’s gotten his facts wrong,” Belle said.

“Or there were no witches to begin with.” Emma smirked then moved away from the creepy book. Her footsteps echoed into the eerily quiet as she came to stand beside Belle.

“You’re so sure they couldn’t have existed,” Belle said. “Why?”

Emma didn’t answer. The last thing she wanted was to delve into the reasons why blind faith in anything always ended badly. Her hands slid into the pockets of her jeans and she shrugged.

Belle reached out for something from the bookcase, her breath coming out shakily. “_Oh.”_

In Belle’s hands was a rusted candle holder with a candle. She studied it for a long moment, a giddy giggle bubbling from her chest, before she bounced toward a table where she placed it down.

“Is that…?” Ruby marched over to Belle with wide eyes that were filled with fascination. “Okay, Swan. You’ve got to admit that’s a bit much of a coincidence?”

Emma moved towards them then leaned against the table in a casual manner, crossing her arms. “A candle?” she asked, taking in the intricate details of the metal holder it lay within. The carvings were golden spirals that demanded she lay her attention at them and only them. When she squinted they swirled into something that was almost recognisable.

“Light the candle to give us life,” she read. “Bring us back for two more nights. The price you pay will be your—”

Belle grabbed the candle. “Erm…Emma?”

She blinked.

Ruby frowned. “What the hell was that?”

Emma looked back towards the candle and the holder that had no words on it at all. She rubbed the back of her neck and smiled stiffly. “Just messing with you,” she said. “It’s a stupid candle that’s not going to do anything anyway.”

Though a small shiver crept up her spine. There were words, she was certain of it, but now all that remained were patterns that couldn’t be read. Even when Belle placed the candle back down with a small clink, the words didn’t reappear.

The moment passed quickly enough, but Emma glanced towards the door to double check it remained ajar. “Maybe we should leave,” Emma said. “It’s going to be dark soon and it’s not as if there’s any lights.”

Ruby wiggled her eyebrows. “But there is a candle.”

“Yeah, but…”

“I thought you said it was just a candle.” Belle pushed it towards her. “Why don’t you light it?”

“With what?” Emma asked.

There was no reason to be afraid, but the room suddenly felt smaller or as if something else existed within them. Emma might not believe in the possibility of resurrection, but she sure as hell believed in ghosts. If there had been three dead women, then there was every possibility that their spirits lingered.

Ruby reached inside her shirt then pulled out a lighter, leaning her elbow on the table so the object dangled towards Emma. “I never go to a party without one.” 

Belle rolled her eyes, clearly not impressed with her girlfriend’s adventurous side. “You’re lucky it’s only parties.”

“What?” Emma asked. “You smoke?”

Ruby shook her head, “Nope,” then winked. “But the occasional joint doesn’t hurt anyone.”

“Oh, okay.”

Not knowing exactly what to say Emma took the lighter. It wasn’t something she had tried, and although she hadn’t necessarily wanted to, there had never been anyone to try it with even if she had. Another collage experience that she’d likely miss out on.

“Hey.” Ruby tipped her chin upwards. “It’s not Belle’s thing either. I wouldn’t allow you to be around anything you that would make you uncomfortable, okay?”

Emma nodded quickly. She’d much rather Ruby think that she was unsure rather than that she was someone who had once gone so long without speaking to another person that her voice had become rusty and cracked the next time she had used it.

“It can be hella fun though,” Ruby said, and even Belle bumped her side. “So, are you going to light that thing or not?” 

“Ugh, I suppose if it’s going to prove you both wrong.”

Emma flipped the lighter open. The flame shot up and flickered in the air. Belle and Ruby kept their intense gazes on her as she slowly lowered the fire towards the candle. As she did the golden spirals realigned, then the candle caught fire, and those final words revealed themselves in the candle’s flicker.

_Light the candle to give us life. Bring us back for two more nights. The price you pay will be your_ d_eath. So light the flame with your final breath. _

The lighter clattered to the floor as the orange flame turned black.


	2. Chapter 2

Dusk fell rapidly. Above the cabin greyed clouds shadowed the full moon. The woods stood still around it, picturesque, until the soil surrounding the cabin vibrated, then shook, before speckles of dirt flew into the air. Then it exploded, almost as if a minefield had been triggered.

Like a growing plant, an arm popped up through the weeds, stopping at the elbow, then flopped downwards. It grabbed at the soil, nails raking along the surface.

More explosions, leaving a hole deep enough for three figures to be uncovered. They laid motionless, their clothes in ruins and their skin grey and ghastly, but slowly they blinked, making small attempts at movement.

Of the three, the woman in the middle dragged herself onto shaky legs first. Both hands lifted towards her neck, wrapping around it whilst she choked on the oxygen she was so desperate for. Her bloodshot eyes watered.

She clawed at her skin, until one particularly long inhale had some hint of colour returning to her cheeks. Both arms flopped down on the exhale. Another shallow breath allowed for a single beat of her heart. It convulsed and twisted, then beat again, the blood slowly pumping through her veins to each starved and stiff muscle.

For each hard-earned breath her chest gained traction. She blinked rapidly bringing the surrounding area, especially the cabin, into focus, and with it, each inch of her body solidified.

She patted herself down, whips of wind and crinkling leaves hitting her next. When her mouth opened, however, she released a strangled sound. She swallowed hard and locked eyes with the woman on her right whose body was stiff with each movement attempted. The final woman was bent in two, hands on her knees, red hair curling around her face, and coughing.

A few more breaths and beats of the strained muscle spread a warmth through her body. More breaths spread like sunshine, control over her limbs coming back in waves.

“Mah—”

Hands flew back to her dry throat. The damn thing was useless. The next breath she took flowed in through her nose then out her mouth.

“Mal,” she croaked.

Her feet shuffled a few inches to her right, seeking out the familiar. The tiny shake of Maleficent’s head stopped the hobbling. She lowered her eyes, glancing towards her left palm. A scar ran across it. She swallowed and clenched her hand into a tight fist. The time to deal with that would come later.

The red-haired woman stumbled closer, arms flopping by her sides and swinging across her body like dead weights with each successful step. “This is all y-y-your f-fault Re-gina.”

The red-head controlled the shaking limb long enough to grip onto Regina’s bicep, aiming to tug her closer. The fingers digging in her arm only made Regina’s heart beat stronger in its current darkened state, until her blood oozed blackness, spreading through her veins where it coiled around and twisted her thoughts, whispering sweet nothings.

Pain shot in Regina’s elbow when she bent it to throw her sister off. The third witch, Zelena, stumbled backwards. “We. All. Agreed.” She cleared her throat then looked them both in the eye. “Now h-help me f-find who d-did this.”

Maleficent’s body temperate heated quicker than the normal being, enough for grace to fast appear within her movements. “Regina’s right,” she said. The other witches glared hauntingly at her. “It’s our best option.”

Regina took a breath, nodding to each Zelena and Maleficent in turn. If they noticed the way darkness swam within her eyes, they didn’t show it. “Sisters,” she said, a slow smirk spreading at the comforting word.

With eyes that locked in agreement the three of them moved towards the cabin. Maleficent strolled past the pair easily, stopping at the door, which remained ajar.

“Well—” she tipped her head then shoved on the door.

Panic clawed at Regina’s stomach, but she forced her feet forwards. Zelena chuckled, collided their shoulders then stepped around her sister. Regina glared then followed them inside the cabin. Even after three hundred years things between them hadn’t changed one bit. 

The black flame candle sat proudly on the table, its flame still flickering in the darkness. It called to Regina, almost singing towards her heart. She recoiled, until the familiar presence created warmth within her body. Her smug smile grew, neck moving from side to side until a pop sounded. She moved fluidly towards it, almost sensually. She lifted the object and glanced at her sisters. 

“Someone gave us life.” Her smile was cunning, in contrast to the velvet in her voice. She wafted her left palm over the flame, feeling nothing of its warmth. “I think it is time we paid them back.” 

Her eyes widened then settled, succumbing herself to the price she must pay. On the night she had cast the spell, she had known what had to be done, fuelled by the angry mob and hatred she had felt for every one of them. Securing their lives would come first; she could later deal with the burden of such actions.

Regina glanced around the cabin, but it was as she had remembered. Nothing seemed out of place, but somewhere, someone had to be within these walls.

Maleficent gave her a sly grin. She reached above a wooden beam and patted a hand along it. She gasped, pulling down a small object then held it gently in her palms. “It’s still here,” she said, stroking it tenderly then held the little cradle against her chest. 

Regina cocked a brow. “Did you ever doubt it?”

There might be ivy around the cabin, and the windows were too dirt covered to see through, but inside, the objects had been protected. Regina knew she had made the right choice, now was the time to rectify those same choices that had lead them here.

She spun, going straight for the glass case and almost sagged with relief when she found it untouched. She needed a moment to become acquainted with her surroundings, they all did, so she let the thoughts of others wander to the back of her mind for a moment. 

Her nail tapped against the glass. “Henry,” she said affectionally, smiling widely, her eyes crinkling in the corners. “Henry do wake up.”

The book’s ugly eye opened at once and rolled around. Regina almost slumped when she opened the glass case and finally had the book pulled against her chest. Once it was open, she ran her fingertips along the pages and the words written within them. She paused at a letter she had stuck in one of the pages, glancing at it briefly before flipping the page.

Standing next to the bookcase Zelena sighed overdramatically, “You and that bloody book.”

Her own hands ran along each potion, arranging them, and sighing whenever she was certain they had remained exactly as she had left them.

Regina rolled her eyes and turned her attention towards her insolent sister. “I’ll remind you, dear. This book is going to save our lives.”

“Not all of us are aware of that,” Zelena mumbled, eyeing Maleficent who had plonked herself down on the bottom step of the staircase. Maleficent didn’t move her gaze away from her tiny cradle. Zelena eyed her sister. “We have our work cut out for us.”

Maleficent smiled slightly, opening her eyes and glancing at the two witches. “That we do,” she said, a smile pushing on her lips and a glimmer overcoming her eyes. There was still hope. She stood and walked over to the table where the candle resided. With the book still in her possession, Regina followed. Zelena reluctantly left her potions and took her place by their sides.

Behind one of the tables in the corner, Emma breathed into the hand she had pushed over her mouth. Her palm was growing damp, but she didn’t dare move it. Part of her believed it had all been a set up, a Halloween prank on the loner girl that Ruby would tell everyone about tomorrow, but Ruby and Belle were hunched together beneath the staircase.

Her thighs burned from the crouched position she had adopted, and even her fingers were aching where she had spread them against the ground to keep her balance. Once or twice she had risked glancing around the table towards the open door or to make eyes with Ruby and try to communicate with gestures.

The last thing Emma had seen was the three mysterious women moving towards the candle, leaving an opportunity she couldn’t waste, but as she slowly leaned sideward, the woman in a purple tattered dress and dark hair stood with one hand on her hip and held a smirk that almost made her eyes twinkle. Emma gasped, ducking behind the table.

“Don’t worry, dear,” Regina said. “I only wish to thank the person who so—” she appeared next to Emma, who was forced to slowly move herself to a standing position. “Graciously brought us back to life.”

Emma smiled tightly, running her fingers over the lump in her jean’s pocket where she had shoved the lighter, helping her to breathe a little easier.

The other two women stood beside the candle, curious eyes on them. Their dresses were black and green, with soil smeared over them. The tallest witch, Maleficent, looked the most threatening with her blonde hair entirely knotted and stuck up in all directions, not that she seemed to care. A bug crawled up the green dress, one that Zelena allowed to crawl onto her hand where she let it rest for a second before she flicked it away.

Emma shook her head. “This has to be a prank.”

“A…prank?” Maleficent repeated.

Maleficent frowned and looked to her sisters for confirmation, but they shrugged, just as confused as she was with the unusual word of choice. Regina covered it quickly, taking slow steps towards Emma. She stumbled backwards, but for each step Emma took, Regina matched it.

Emma’s back hit a wall where she was forced to watch the sway of Regina’s dress, and hear each tap of her boots until she stopped barely an inch away. Emma’s eyes immediately dipped to the generous cleavage on display, quickly lifting her gaze and focusing on the small scar on Regina’s upper lip instead. Her hands reached behind herself, her palms flat against the wall.

“No need to be frightened,” Regina said, her voice all soft and curvy in direct contrast to the black splotches within her eyes.

There was something about them, something unnatural, and with the words Emma had read as she had lit the candle still clear on her mind, everything within her screamed to run. Still, she swallowed it down and held the eye contact.

“Is this a joke?” she repeated. “Because if it is, it isn’t funny.”

“No,” Regina said simply, softly. “I only wish to repay my debt.”

Emma’s head shook again, “This can’t be real.” 

“We are quite real!” Zelena said. The audacity. She placed a hand on her hip, fingers curling around the dress and all but pouted. “Just because we were once dead doesn’t mean we aren’t standing here with you right now.”

Maleficent sighed, “For goodness sake.” She crossed her arms and glared at the woman. The emotional meltdowns Zelena had over the smallest of things were absurd. Instead of rising to it, she faced Emma, ignoring the devious look on Regina’s face and the way she had the young girl cornered like prey. “What year is it, child?”

“Erm…” she shuffled, flickering her gaze around the cabin to where Ruby and Belle remained out of sight. When she looked back towards Maleficent, her stare hadn’t wavered. “2019.”

Maleficent’s arms slackened, the cradle slipping from her hands and plummeting to the ground. Zelena’s arm shot out, sparks flying from the action and stopping the object from shattering against the floor. It hovered an inch above it.

_Fuck. _Emma looked for strings, for anything to explain how the cradle floated back into the arms of its owner. Maleficent took it and gave Zelena a grateful nod before she dragged herself across the room, sitting on the staircase. She closed her eyes, little droplets collecting on her eyelashes as she held the tiny object against her chest.

“I beg your pardon?” Regina said.

Her face turned from ice cold to burning fire in a split second. She moved away from Emma, back towards the candle, slamming a palm on the table and getting lost within her own mind. Emma struggled not to flinch.

“You and your grand plans,” Zelena said. “It’s been over three fucking hundred years! They’ll be long dead by now.”

Zelena moved towards her sister, lifting her hand then letting it flop back down. The action had Regina’s eyes blazing.

Whilst the sisters faced each other, Emma crept over the floorboards, cringing whenever they squeaked. Thoughts of getting the hell out of there had Emma surge forwards, hoping she could somehow get the others out without exposing them.

“And we’ll end up like them if you continue to behave like a child,” Regina said. “I’ll remind you, dear sister, I had no control over when the candle would be lit anymore than you did. And we all agreed.”

Zelena huffed and spun; dress wafting into the air as she stormed back over to her trusty potions. She counted them until she no longer felt the urge to fling them all at Regina’s head.

Regina wafted a hand in the air. The door slammed shut, startling Emma, who had been a few steps away from reaching it.

“Don’t think you can fool me,” Regina said, making her way towards the young woman. “Now tell me, are there any others here with you?”

Regina reached over and placed a hand on Maleficent’s shoulder, squeezing softly. Maleficent placed her hand on top of Regina’s and nodded a little. They stayed that way even when Regina cocked her head and raised her brows at Emma.

In response she shook her head and avoided moving her eyes towards the place where she knew her friends were hiding. Everything in her screamed at her to look, but she kept her gaze firmly on Regina.

“Do I have to do everything around here?” Zelena asked, arm shouting out to the side causing a light to shine over the hiding space. She let her arm flop, then went back to pulling out books and finding a way to keep them alive considering her sister could no longer be trusted.

Emma’s breath caught yet again, because the cradle was one thing, and now this too. It illuminated exactly where her friends were still hunched together, but with the light glowing over them, Ruby and Belle had little choice but to inch out from under the stairs. Emma cringed, but there was nothing to be done about it.

Their hands reached for each other’s automatically, their fingers intertwining. Regina glanced to their conjoined hands before glaring at the pair, her gaze heavy. Belle’s face was pale and clammy, and she swallowed thickly, twisting her head towards Ruby and only looking at her.

“Well, well, well,” Regina said. “What have we here?”

For all of Ruby’s fire and cockiness, when she tried to speak her throat was dry. She tugged Belle closer, squeezed her hand tighter, but she remained silent.

Emma shook her arms out, her eyes flickering all over the room. Maleficent remained hunched over. Zelena had her nose in a book. It was only Regina that paid any attention to them. If it wasn’t for her, Emma imagined they could have walked out of the cabin without a fuss.

“It’s m—” Emma’s voice caught, but Regina shifted her eyes either way. “It’s me you want. Let them go.”

“Emma,” Ruby hissed.

“Em-ma,” Regina said, the word sensual. A slow smile curled on Regina’s lips. “How exactly do you know what _I _want, dear?”

Emma stole a glance at the pair, bouncing on her feet. “The candle,” she said. “The words on it. The spell, whatever it was.”

“Excuse me?” Regina shook her head, the deadly smile falling into a flat line.

A book slammed shut, all the attention moving towards the back of the room to where Zelena frowned at Emma. “This is ludicrous. There’s no way—”

Not knowing what in the world was happening, Emma was oddly glad when out of nowhere Maleficent let out a small sob. “She’s gone,” she whispered, squeezing her eyes so tightly as if doing so would block out the world.

Dots connected in Emma’s mind. First the article, the small cradle and now this woman suddenly crumbling down. A small flicker of sympathy arose in Emma’s chest, one that was shut down just as quickly when she realised this misfortune was brought on through selfishness. But she remained silent, stroking her thumb on the inside of her wrist – a habit she’d picked up from childhood – until she felt calmer.

The broken sob that escaped had Zelena looking up from her book. “We’ve all faced loss, Mal,” she said calmly before moving towards them. Her shoulder nudged with Regina; the only one unaffected by the whimpers that followed.

Instead those dark eyes bored into Emma as she stalked closer and closer and closer, sensing the opportunity for what it was, a smirk on her lips growing, the dress swishing, until a hand reached out, and Emma’s body convulsed. She inhaled sharply as if winded, her back curling over as if she was pulling herself away from the hand that had violently plunged inside her chest. 

Sound muffled, time slowed down. Belle’s and Ruby’s shouts were drowned out, Zelena and Maleficent’s confusion amplified. It was like being underwater, arms sprawled out in front of her, gasping for breath, unable to move even as Zelena attempted to yank on Regina’s arm. All Emma could feel was hurt, her head swimming in and out of consciousness. Blood pounded in her ears, her limbs weakening for each squeeze of her heart and her eyes fluttered, fluttered, grew heavy—

Then warm, so warm, and it spread and crashed and pushed outwards like fireworks, until the hand let go, until a spark of light flew from inside of her, Regina and Zelena flying backwards into the air and landing on the ground with a crash.

“Emma!” Ruby grabbed her arm, yanking, but all she could do was stare.

Her chest was laboured, her breath coming out hard and fast. Maleficent went towards her sisters and was helping them up when Belle followed. Ruby took a step forwards, stopped by Emma who gripped her arm and tugged. Then Belle had Regina’s book against her chest, and she was turning towards them, pushing them until they moved back into action.

The witches were pulling themselves back up, the book already gone when Regina reached for it. The three of them had fled the cabin, were already racing through the woods when a scream startled them. Regina didn’t stop until she ran out of breath. The sisters flinched and moved themselves away.

Zelena dusted off her dress and picked up the books that had been knocked to the ground. Maleficent used a spark of magic to attach the cradle to a chain, pushing it beneath her dress and out of sight. She moved over to help them clear up, well to help Zelena, considering Regina remained standing in place, unblinking.

Regina’s body shook with fury. Her hardened eyes stared at the empty glass cabinet. They had taken _her _book as if they had any right. Her hands fisted by her sides, lips pressed tightly together, her entire body stiff. She trembled harder, eyes red rimmed. Inside her throat, a lump grew when she thought about everything contained within it.

“How dare they,” she whispered.

“How dare they?” Zelena shrieked. “You tried to rip that girl’s heart out!”

She slammed a book on the table, a puff of dust floating into the air. Regina jumped, head whipping around. Her nostrils flared, because if anyone should know what that book meant to her and what could happen if someone read it _again, _then it should be her sisters.

Zelena didn’t seem too understanding, not when she marched towards Regina about to throttle her. “_I’m _supposed to be the one with the rash judgement.”

Regina’s fingers trembled violently by her sides, magic sparking at the edges of them. “I had every right.”

“Every right?” Maleficent asked. She had a hand over her chest, face pale, and took calming breaths trying to supress her shivers.

“Every. Right.” Regina’s jaw set and her mind along with it. “Not that it matters if we don’t get back my book.”

“It’s just a book,” Zelena whined. “Three hundred years have passed without me having to hear about Henry, but that wasn’t long enough!”

Regina snarled, and Zelena took a step backwards from the growing magic. Her sister had gone insane.

“It’s the only thing that’ll keep us alive, dear. Forty-eight hours until the candle goes out. Or have you forgotten about that little detail?”

“No one has forgotten,” Maleficent said, twiddling the cradle between her fingers. “How exactly does that justify you trying to murder an innocent girl?”

Zelena crossed her arms and glared at her sister. “Since when do we kill?”

Regina scoffed, “We’ve killed plenty.” The two of them paced backwards. “Spin it any way you like, but we’ve killed.”

They remained silent, contemplative, and when they had no argument Regina turned her back to them. Her chin trembled; the only thing keeping her on her feet was her building rage.

“Are we going to talk about blondie?” Zelena asked.

Regina took a deep breath and spun back around. “It doesn’t matter, she doesn’t—”

“But if she’s—”

Regina lifted her palm, cutting Maleficent off. “No,” she said. “That doesn’t matter. We need to find her and my book.”

“And what are you planning on doing once we do?” Maleficent asked.

“What needs to be done.” It was as simple and as complicated as that. They had no choice, _she_ had no choice, or everything they had gone through to get here would have been for nothing. Regina held onto that thought and turned to face the black flame candle.

The flame made it easier, somehow, to block out all doubts, and to allow the certainty to rise to the surface until Regina was blinkered. Once again, she stretched her fingers of her left hand, revealing the straight line where she had cut across her palm before squeezing the blood over the candle on that night. It should have been done by all three of them, but there had been no time. 

Zelena shook her head and widened her eyes. “Which is what, exactly?”

Regina sighed then eyed each of them in turn. “We take her heart, or when that candle goes out, we die for good.”


	3. Chapter 3

Emma breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth. She did it again, and again, but no matter how much air her brain received it still didn’t function as expected. There was no way that those women had been dead for three hundred years, that one of them had plunged a hand into her chest, and—

“I’ve been guarding that place for centuries,” said the cat, one that pounced on top of a gravestone and squinted. Fucking squinted.

Emma squeezed her eyes shut, fists pressed tightly against her thighs and began to count backwards from one hundred. The wind whipped at her face, her feet sinking into the mud. Her fingers were growing numb, but it was preferable to the ache that remained in her chest.

No one mentioned what had happened within the cabin and for the moment, Emma was content to never think about it again.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” it said again.

Emma peaked one eye open to look at the owner of the voice. Not only was the cat speaking to her, but it also managed to give her the stink eye.

Emma grimaced. “Someone slipped me something?”

“Then we’ve all had the same thing,” Ruby muttered.

To Emma’s horror, Ruby scratched the white cat behind its ears before lifting it into her arms. However, the cat struggled instantly, hissing, and unless Ruby wanted a whole host of scratch marks she had no other choice than to let the cat pounce from her arms.

It landed gently on the grass, shook itself off then jumped back onto the grave they were all standing around. The graveyard was supposed to be hallowed ground, a place the witches couldn’t step foot within, and after the cat has pounced at them as they were fleeing, none of them had any mind to question it.

The white fluff ball managed to glare at Ruby. “I’m not one of those house cats.”

“Alright,” Ruby said. “Noted.”

Belle smiled. “You’re Mary Margaret.”

“Yes.” She sat herself down and faced Belle. “How did you figure that out?”

“In the legends, you disappeared and there was never any mention of a cat until that night.”

Ruby wrapped an arm around Belle’s waist, tugging on her gently. “Nerd,” she whispered, but it was laced with an affection that had Belle’s cheeks tint pink.

“This is all insane,” Emma muttered, side eyeing the couple _and _the talking cat.

Mary Margaret jumped from the grave then placed her paws on the bottom of Emma’s legs. Her blue eyes looked up, and Emma’s heart might have melted. Might have, because then—

“Are you going to help me stop them, or not?”

And it freaked her out all over again.

“Do I have much of a choice?” she asked.

The cat widened her eyes and _that _was why she never bothered to leave her dorm room. Emma sighed and picked the cat up, holding her softly. She settled easily, and a little smile curled at the edges of Emma’s lips. She almost wanted to gloat and confess herself a cat whisperer. 

“See?” Ruby bumped her shoulder. “Cute, huh?”

Emma chuckled at Mary Margaret’s purr and the little head that rubbed against her neck. “Alright,” she said, finally starting to get over the initial shock. “What now?”

Belle crouched down beside the gravestone Mary Margaret had been perched on. The lettering that had been carved out was easily readable, though Belle traced the tips of her fingers along the name anyway. “You picked this grave on purpose?”

“I did,” Mary Margaret said. “Some had fates worse than mine.”

Ruby caught Emma’s eye, who shrugged, just as lost. “Maybe fill the rest of us in.”

“It was rumoured that Graham Humbert was having an illicit affair with Regina Mills,” the cat said. “But once this was discovered, she sowed his mouth shut before killing him, so the secret affair would remain so even in the afterlife.”

Mary Margret went quiet before jumping out of Emma’s arms. She sat herself beside the grave and sighed.

“So…how do we stop them?” Emma asked.

“Erm—” Belle pointed to the night sky. “I think we have bigger problems.”

In the distance three figures floated amongst the clouds. They were dark splotches who grew bigger and more frightening by the second. Emma shivered once before glancing at the group. “We should get out of here.”

Ruby took a hold of Belle’s hand and squeezed. “I thought they couldn’t get us in here.”

“Well,” Mary Margaret said. “_They_ can’t.”

Ruby eyed her. “I do not like the way you said that.”

“Get the book,” Mary Margaret said. Belle grabbed the book and tucked it beneath her arm. Cackles from the sky floated down and spread out over the graveyard like mist. “Don’t let go of it, no matter what happens. They can’t get that book.”

As they approached it became clearer that the witches were flying on broomsticks. For a solid thirty seconds Emma stared at them. Then they went from tiny specs to hovering just outside of the graveyard and still Emma couldn’t look away. When Regina caught Emma’s eyes, she expected herself to cower away, the memory and sting in her chest still fresh, but it ignited a fire. Emma glared back.

With a devilish smirk, Regina leant forwards and gripped the edge of her broom, lowering it until she was on the grave’s perimeter “Miss me?” she asked, all flirtatious, and when a gush of wind lifted the black dress and pushed her dark hair behind her face, it could have been considered sexy.

“Listen, you crazy witch,” Emma said, spurred on by something she couldn’t quite understand. “You’ve already lost.”

Mary Margaret dug her paws into Emma’s feet and hissed, but her focus remained on the witches.

“Come on,” Ruby urged her, but she ignored her too.

Regina laughed with her entire body, “Oh, how _wrong _you are.”

Maleficent and Zelena lowered themselves on either side of Regina. They were perched up right and held sparkles in their eyes. All three of their dresses were clean and immaculate, without the dirt and bugs, and their hair had been perfectly styled.

“Someone’s confident,” Maleficent said.

Zelena rolled her eyes. “More like arrogant.”

“I can hear you!” Emma shouted. It would be a cold day if she let anyone intimidate her. She’d learned not to back down and stand her ground the hard way. “I did bring you all back to life. A little gratitude would be nice.”

The three of them shared glances, seemingly impressed. Though it was Regina whose smirk grew wider. “I’ll be oh so grateful once I’m still living when that flame goes out. Though I do appreciate a good challenge.”

Ruby leaned into Emma’s shoulder. “I don’t think you should be antagonising them,” she whispered, sharing concerned looks with her girlfriend.

Emma knew that she should stay quiet, should run, shouldn’t put her friends’ lives in danger, but she couldn’t quite stop herself either, like a bad accident she couldn’t look away from or an argument that had already been lost, but backing down would be admitting defeat. 

“You really do have a way about you,” Mary Margaret said. Emma could hear the eye roll, the _disapproval, _and a small pang hit her gut. Then Mary Margaret pushed gently against her shin. “Though deflating their huge egos would not be a bad thing entirely.”

“I wouldn’t trust that wretched woman,” Zelena said.

“Snow,” Regina purred, and laughed when the cat shivered. “Still alive after all this time, I see? If we’re talking gratitude you should be thanking me.”

The cat hissed and swiped a paw in the air. “Gratitude? You murdered my family.”

Emma hitched a breath. “Is that true?” she whispered, but the cat ignored her. Belle and Ruby, on the other hand, looked to her with startled eyes.

“Cats are so judgey,” Maleficent said. “Those accusations are—”

Regina lifted her palm and Maleficent’s voice cut off. “I bet not knowing what happened to them has been eating you up,” Regina said, easily ignoring the twist of Maleficent’s lips. She deserved to get her revenge on that awful woman, and she would take it before her infuriating sisters interrupted and ruined it all.

“As much as I enjoy that tactic whilst I’m the one to do it,” Zelena said. “Mal has turned purple.”

“Fine.” Regina rolled her eyes and let her hand drop back down, causing Maleficent to sag forwards and gulp in air. Regina’s blank face swivelled to face the blonde witch. “I’ll remind you not to get in the way.”

Maleficent narrowed her eyes. “We have rules in place. How dare you—”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Regina said. Anyway, that was her domain and they always tried to impose upon it.

“We’re all bloody dramatic!” Zelena said. “But Mal’s right. If we disregard everything we stand for—”

“As if you have any moral code!” Mary Margaret shouted. She scurried along the cold ground until she could press her paws against the railings.

“You were ready to burn us at the stake,” Zelena said, hands clenching around her broom. “On second thoughts, Mal, please keep that mouth of yours shut.”

“And I’m the villain of this story now?” Maleficent asked, sighing so, so deeply. “At least being dead was peaceful.”

“Then you can go back to being dead,” Regina said, with a lift of her palm and a raise of her brows to show she meant it. “Or are you going to be quiet for once in your life?”

“Me?” Maleficent wanted to hurtle magic at them. If they didn’t cause her more grief in these past hours than she’d dealt with in three hundred years she’d fling herself from this broom. She glanced down, tempted. “Perhaps everything won’t be so hostile if we admit to what—”

Regina’s palm clenched into a fist, stopping Maleficent from speaking once more. Maleficent pressed her lips together and took calming breaths to stop herself from retaliating. “I’ll decide what and when we reveal anything.” Regina’s eyes turned cold and menacing, and something about them told Maleficent to retreat. Regina might have been intolerable during their past life, but this was different. 

“Now,” she said, turning back to Emma. “Where were we?”

The little display had Emma gulp and take a pace back. She crossed her arms and took a calming breath. “Stopped behaving like a five year old?” Emma asked.

Regina huffed through her nose, gaze settling on that meddlesome blonde. She raked her eyes along her body to seize her up and snapped her head away from the ripple beneath her shirt. “Quite,” she said. “My sisters are immature.”

Emma bit the inside of her cheek. She would not laugh. The dryness to her tone and the long heavy sigh almost had her in for. “Like you’re much better.”

“This is not getting us anywhere,” Ruby said.

She was standing stiff as a board beside her girlfriend who had gone so rigid it would be a surprise if she ever moved again. They were not enjoying this display as much as Emma appeared to be.

“So, we’re in agreement,” Regina said, winking at the brunette. She took note of their combined hands as quickly as she tossed it aside. “Now…back to the matter at hand—” She dropped her own.

Maleficent took a deep breath. “I swear to god…”

“Oh, don’t start,” Zelena said. “You always ruin the fun.”

“Glad to know I amuse you so much,” Emma said dryly. “But you can’t get us in here, so why don’t you leave us the hell alone?”

“You think that’s going to stop us?” Regina could almost taste revenge on the tip of her tongue. They were fools if they didn’t think they’d already gotten past this. “Sisters!”

The three of them raised their arms, muttering something that pulled Emma into a trance. It was as if those unintelligible words surrounded her within a tornado, calling to her blood. Where the others had wide eyes and their mouths gaped open, she stared, fascinated, and wanted to hear more. Her entire body didn’t move throughout the chanting, not until the ground rumbled and everything around her came into focus.

The graveyard stilled for a second, then wind picked up, the trees bristled, birds sprung into the air, and the ground began to rumble.

“What is that?” Belle asked.

She pointed to the ground next to the gravestone that was lifting and falling like ocean waves.

“We need to get out of here.” Ruby tugged on Belle’s hand and they slowly moved their feet away, the book remaining tucked beneath Belle’s arm.

“Emma!” The cat sprinted back to the young woman, upon a gravestone and wafted her paw to grab her attention.

The ground burst into the sky, three sets of laughter following. A figure sat up, black hair and grey skin. His head spun around like something from the exorcist. His hollowed and yellowed eyes settled on Emma. Little stitches ran over his lips, and ants crawled along his dirt-covered clothes. Emma stared, unfeeling, and unable to move no matter how much someone tugged on her arm. Her feet slowly scurried backwards, until a surge of adrenaline raced through her body.

“Run!” Emma shouted. Finally, she ran towards the cat, the others following, jumping over branches and swiveling around gravestones.

“Go after them!” Regina shouted, ignoring the zombie’s grunt. He lifted his arms then let them fall, before rolling his eyes and pushing himself from the grave. He noticed his name on the headstone, huffed then turned his head around 180 degrees whilst his body faced the opposite way. Regina’s nose crinkled, the other two witches glanced away. “Go!”

He grunted, but reluctantly readjusted his head and dragged himself from the grave.

“This has to be the worst idea you’ve ever had,” Zelena said, casting accusatory eyes at Regina. “And you let us die for three hundred years.”

“Run!” Regina shouted, ignoring her insolent sister. “Get the book!”

He did as instructed, taking clumsy steps like he was learning to walk for the first time. Though, he was still able to catch up to the group in quick strides. Emma felt his presence at her back and twisted her head. It snapped back around just as quickly and she reminded herself not to look back again.

“In here,” Mary Margaret called, diving into a tunnel. Belle slid down, followed by Ruby, but the zombie was on their tail and with nothing stopping him from following, Emma spun back around.

She shook her arms out in front of her and took quick breaths. The zombie was terrifying but letting him follow would be worse. Emma would do anything to go back to the good old times where dealing with her classes’ deadlines and that infuriating guy in the leather were her only problems. She bounced on the spot and imagined not the zombie, but that idiot and how badly she wanted to knock him out cold.

She grabbed onto a branch and pulled it backwards. The moment those shaky movements and grunts came close enough, she let it go. It whacked him right in the face, causing his head to tumble off in another direction. Emma stopped breathing when his body didn’t instantly collapse, instead he moved around in search of his missing body part.

“You’re supposed to be helping, not getting your damn head knocked off!” Zelena shouted. “I told you this was a bad idea.”

“And what other ideas do you have?” Regina asked. They could help or butt out. “To the right!” she bellowed, hands clenching when his floppy body went the wrong way. “No. Not your right. Mine.” It should go without question. She sighed, but then caught Emma’s gaze. She hadn’t moved since the zombie had lost his head. “You can run,” she purred, “but I will find you.”

An electric pulse ran through Emma’s body. She dived down the tunnel and landed in a puddle. The water splashed up her jeans, and she retched. “What is this place?” she asked, squinting in the darkness.

“Don’t worry, it’s safe,” Mary Margaret said, raising a paw then trotting away. “I’ve been hunting mice down here for years.”

“Gross.” Belle’s nose wrinkled, and she held the book tighter to her chest. Mary Margaret chuckled, leading the three of them away, out of sight of the witches and the headless zombie.

Ruby wrapped an arm around Belle’s waist, pulling her to her side as they walked. She placed a tender kiss through her hair, and her girlfriend looked up with a weak smile.

“I love you,” Belle whispered.

“I love you, too.” Ruby smiled and bopped her on the nose. “I’ll keep you safe.”

Emma bit her lip and trailed behind the pair. They were cute, but it didn’t stop the jealously from flaring in her gut. “What now?” she asked, moving her eyes away from them and concentrating on the situation.

“Now,” Mary Margaret said, coming to stop beside some metal ladders. “We find a way to stop the witches from hurting anyone else.”


	4. Chapter 4

“That good for nothing—”

Regina flung the broom the instant she stepped inside the cabin. It clattered to the ground with so much force it bounced a few inches off it before flopping down for good. She shot her arm out which caused the broom to fly back into her palm where she tensed her bicep and threw it back down again.

“Perhaps he wasn’t the best choice, dear.” Maleficent sashayed up to where Regina stood breathing heavily, and gently placed a tip of her finger beneath her chin, tipping it upwards. “Given your history.”

The touch unsettled Regina, but she equally wanted the contact, so she aligned their eyes and forced herself to take a shaky breath.

“His own choices saw to his death,” she said. “If he’d listened to me…”

Maleficent tutted and patted Regina’s cheek. The gaze of those blue eyes remained solely on Regina making her forget all about that idiotic blonde or the girls who held hands. “Perhaps _I _should have listened to you,” Maleficent said, and for a moment the entire world went away.

Regina swallowed, the heaviness of her heart settling momentarily. It had been this way since Maleficent had turned up in Salem and they’d taken her into their coven. And even though her affair with Maleficent had been short lived, it had been intense. It had been the first time she’d ever kissed someone and liked it, the first time her stomach had fluttered at the mere thought of a person.

Their relationship had been filled with courageous moments of defiance where they’d kissed in the barn before hiding away for nights of passion.

It had come to an abrupt pause when Graham had caught them kissing. 

“You really believe he will help either one of you?” Zelena asked. They were more deluded than she thought. Absolute fools without one decent brain cell between the two of them.

“No,” Maleficent said. “He’s proven un-loyal, there’s nothing more to it.”

Regina didn’t respond, even if she believed perhaps Maleficent was right. In the past she would have voiced said thoughts, but that was when her chest used to flutter. It was still now, cold and unresponsive. She hated it.

“He owes me,” Regina said.

Her booted feet clopped solemnly along the floor boards, arms moving to wrap around her waist now she remembered where they were and what needed to be done. Regina stopped at the window, her back to both sisters. She had warned Graham what would happen if he were to share their secret, but of course, he’d believed he’d known better.

“I’m not sure he’ll see it that way,” Zelena said. “Do you at least have some other plan? I’d like to stay alive thank you very much.”

“I would like to know this myself,” Maleficent said, her voice a little sharper than moments ago. It caused something deep inside Regina to flinch, because she’d promised to save them if they were to help her, but now she had no means of following through.

When Regina didn’t respond, Maleficent shared a concerned look with Zelena who only shrugged. “Thoughts?” Maleficent prompted. “Or did your plan involve letting _us_ figure out a way?”

Regina kept her back to them. She knew if she turned around, they would see red rimmed eyes and she wasn’t ready to disappoint them. “We need to get the book,” was all she said, because not only were their lives depending on it, so was keeping her secrets buried.

“I guess it’s just you and me,” Zelena said, ignoring the rage that demanded she go to Regina and shake her shoulders. It formed within her stomach and set heavily there. She pulled a book from the shelf and was about to let it drop when Regina turned and with sullen eyes, walked past them, moving towards the back window.

The night grew darker and the candle withered. Regina stood by the window and watched the sky with the knowledge that it would be one of her last. The serenity calmed the twisting of her gut, but nature could only do so much. Yet, her gaze didn’t move from it, or her arms from around her waist. She had made a promise to help them, but that sentiment would turn to dust along with them if she couldn’t fix this.

Murmurs continued behind her. The other two witches read books and created the beginnings of potions. Regina didn’t believe it was of any use, but even if that wasn’t true, it was impossible to focus when her life was out there without her.

Whilst they were distracted, she placed the tips of her fingers over her chest, plunged them inside and pulled out her heart with a sharp gasp. With both hands she cupped it in its current blackened state. There hadn’t been a moment where she’d been able to look at it, to confirm what she already knew and felt, but now, as she caressed it with her thumbs, she got the answer she had sought after, all while that girl, _Emma, _was out there, and the black flame candle flickered mercilessly. 

“You may as well stop that,” she said, quickly pushing the heart back where it belonged.

“Or you can stop with this doomed attitude.” Maleficent felt a twang of something for her friend, but she wasn’t the only one who had to deal with loss.

When Maleficent’s warm body saddled up beside her, Regina stiffened, not daring to move a muscle. Her focus remained on the sky, she would not so much as lean sideways no matter how badly she wanted the comfort. But of course, Maleficent had learnt to read her, not hesitating more than a moment before placing a palm on her lower back, rubbing softly to release some tension, then wrapping her arms around Regina’s waist.

Her eyes closed, even long after they had ended what could have been considered a relationship, Maleficent had remained her confidant, the only person who knew when she needed softness or some tough love. The only real person, besides her sister, who – coming from a place of care rather than control – wasn’t afraid to stand up to and challenge her.

“This is all my fault,” Regina whispered. “If I hadn’t been foolish—”

“We’re all foolish when we’re in love,” Maleficent said.

At the mention of_ love _a lump lodged itself in Regina’s throat. It caused her to swallow twice before she opened her glistening eyes and glanced towards Maleficent with a watery smile. “I miss her,” she said, and as if they had been magic filled words, a light shot up into the sky.

It took a moment for the source of the light to register, but when it did Regina straightened. “Those idiots,” she said, hardly believing they had been so stupid.

The misery edged away the longer she looked towards the light. It appeared to be coming from a building halfway across town, straight up into the sky. Regina’s hands gripped the edge of the window where she half leaned out of it as her chest fluttered. Half a dozen plans flashed behind her eyes before she had even moved.

“Is that…?” Zelena peeped over from the book she had been reading on extraction and relocation. It was fascinating but the sight out of the window caused her to lower it and move towards the light.

“Henry,” Regina said. “I can’t believe they opened the book.”

Regina shot out her arm which caused her broom to sprint across the floor and fit into her waiting palm. She gripped it firmly, pushed open the door then looped one leg over it. Regina took one last look at the candle and felt the shift from prey to predator. There would be no repetition of the past, she was about to make sure of that.

* * *

Emma had been trying to open the book for hours only for Mary Margaret to jump down from the table and close it over and over again. She eyed Emma, explaining how the book created a beacon for Regina to follow, and how, under no circumstances, were they allowed to open it.

She nodded, resigned, then mooched around the library as if they were about to find a magical solution. _Magical. _Perhaps if Emma could figure out what in the world had happened back at the cabin then maybe they would stand a chance. As it was, Henry remained shut on top of the table, Emma refused to mention it and every time she thought too hard her fingers would tremble.

“Find anything?” she asked Belle, who had managed to pile up a dozen books on one of the tables. She shook her head then continued to read.

It was pointless. The witches would find them. They would, or perhaps _she, _would die, and then they would continue to do whatever it is they wanted. Not that Emma knew much about them, and she was regretful she hadn’t paid more attention in class.

“They’ll find us here anyway,” Emma sighed, flopping down onto one of the plastic chairs opposite Belle. “We should lock ourselves inside a cupboard just in case.”

Belle’s eyes sparked, “What if—”

And that’s exactly how Emma finally managed to open the book. It didn’t prove as useful as she’d hoped, though she’d only read the first few pages after they’d set up their plan.

A plan which included luring them here, tricking them with dictionaries that resembled Henry, then locking them inside the cupboard in the library that only locked and unlocked from the outside. Of course, Belle had managed to get access to the key during her freshman year. 

They were situated around the collage, and the tape recorder had been left inside the cupboard. It played a ‘repeat-after-me’ French lesson – _Bienvenue à la bibliothèque._ _Welcome to the library – _that would, hopefully, lure them inside.

Emma was crouched down near a fire exit, the book open and Belle by her side. “What made you take it?” she asked.

Only on page three, Emma squinted at the page and on a sigh, flipped it over. The images on the pages looked like her chemistry homework from high school, but instead of atoms and particles, protons and neutrons, it was weird shapes and even stranger ingredients.

“It contained the spell they performed the night they were hung,” Belle said. “I figured they would need it to keep them alive, but after what, well, happened—” she cringed. “I guessed taking it would be our best option.”

Emma hummed, “It doesn’t make any sense, anyway.”

It was disappointing, but Emma had become an expert at masking it and telling herself she didn’t care anyway. Soon the witches would be gone and whatever lurked inside her blood would remain dormant and forgotten.

“What did you mean about the words?” Belle asked. “When you lit the candle, you went into some sort of trance. It was weird.”

Emma shrugged, debating on telling her the truth. The entire thing felt like a dream, one filled with unusual twists and turns that leaped in all directions. It was strange to think she had been in this building only hours ago, not believing a single word of the story August had told them. “I don’t know,” she eventually settled with. “I don’t know what I saw.”

Before they could take this any further, a figure dropped down onto the roof. Maleficent smiled cunningly, hair and dress blowing backwards as her feet touched down. With her broom in one hand she moved fluidly towards them as if bending air to her will.

“Shit,” Emma muttered. She slammed the book shut and pushed it against Belle’s chest. “Run.”

Belle wrapped her arms around it then ran inside. On a very deep breath, and a second, Emma glanced between the witch and the corridor. Her eyes skittered around, one foot propped against the door to keep it open and her hands twitching nervously by her sides.

“I don’t wish to hurt you,” Maleficent said. “In fact, quite the opposite.”

Maleficent walked very slowly, almost deliberately, but it gave Emma some more time to think if there was a chance that she could get what she needed. “How can I believe you?” She rubbed her thumb over the inside of her wrist. Maleficent glanced to her action, causing Emma to drop her hands by her sides once more.

“I am curious, you see—”

Emma’s palm flattened against her chest, because so was she, and the way Maleficent gave her an encouraging smile almost made her shut the door to trap them on the roof. She closed her eyes for an instant, trying to decide, opening them up when Maleficent was only a few strides away.

Their eyes met and held, and Maleficent stopped, leaving a small space between them. Emma’s fingers clutched at her shirt whilst she remembered what it felt like to have a hand squeeze her heart. Maleficent moved again, slowly reaching out. She grabbed the door but didn’t make any attempt to reach Emma. Their gazes didn’t waiver.

“We only want the book,” Maleficent said calmly. “Then perhaps—”

“What are you doing?” Mary Margaret asked. She jumped in front of Emma and swiped her paw in Maleficent’s direction. “Let’s go!”

“But, I—”

Emma shook her head, letting those thoughts go. It would be over soon. She didn’t need answers. She’d gone an entire lifetime without them, these were simply a few more she’d store into a box and never open again.

Mary Margaret hissed, reminding Emma that she needed to act. It was easy to follow the cat inside and ignore what she wanted. She’d had a lot of practice. She didn’t even turn around to see if Maleficent had followed. She especially did not allow herself to think about what would happen if she had.

Instead, she ran down the corridors, passing doors leading to the classrooms and the notice board she’d never paid attention to. Her shoes squeaked on the polished ground when she paused to turn around a corner. Mary Margaret’s paws were silent on the ground beside her, but she managed to jump in front of Emma before they reached the end of this corridor.

Emma morphed herself into the wall as Ruby zoomed past. A dictionary was pressed to her chest and her cheeks had turned rosy. Regina followed, hands gripped into her dress so it wouldn’t drag on the floor as she scattered along it. “I’ll have you on toast!” she yelled, then disappeared around a corner.

Emma blinked. It was one thing facing her in the graveyard when there’d been a fence between them, but now she would have to be close to Regina again. A nervous chuckle bubbled up in her throat, her emotions compressing into one until she wasn’t sure if she’d keep on laughing or start to cry.

“We need to go,” Mary Margaret said.

Emma nodded and suppressed the laugh, bouncing on her toes in between steps. Mary Margaret went in the same direction Regina had, hoping to catch their attention and lead them to the library. Emma turned and made her way towards the girl’s bathroom. Inside, she found Belle breathing heavily and hugging a dictionary to her chest.

“I haven’t run so much in my life,” she said. “I led Zelena to the library. Maleficent was on my tail when I left her there.”

“The book?”

“Safe.”

Emma nodded, though she had a mixture of feelings now their plan seemed to be working. Before her thoughts could wander uncontrolled, the door swung open and Ruby stepped in.

“Come on,” Ruby said. “They’re all in the library. Mary Margaret managed to get out the window.” She eyed the pair then let the dictionary drop to the floor. Belle flinched. She rolled her eyes then looked to Emma. “Didn’t need a book?”

“Nah—” Emma winked. “I was enough bait on my own.”

It was supposed to be a joke, but as they walked towards the library, why that was played on a loop in Emma’s mind. If only she’d had a few more minutes with Maleficent, maybe she’d…no, for all she knew the witch could have hurt her if Mary Margaret hadn’t shown up.

Once they reached the library, they peered through the glass doors. The three witches were creeping towards the cupboard, though their movements were slow as they would peer down each row of books before moving on. The French lesson continued to play and was successful in grabbing their attention.

Carefully, Emma pushed the door open. She held it open for the other two then slowly allowed it to shut. Ruby and Belle went right, behind the book shelves, and Emma went left. They crept forwards, glancing at each other every few rows whilst Emma’s palms began to sweat.

She rubbed them down the front of her thighs, reminding herself that she wasn’t a stranger to danger. They might be witches who had power she couldn’t understand, but if they tried to hurt her, then surely her own…she could protect herself.

Emma weaved down a row of books, pulling a few from the shelf to peer through it. They were at the cupboard now, with narrowed brows and squinting eyes. Zelena peered into the cupboard first and chuckled. “It’s here,” she said, turned and gloated.

As Regina pushed past her sister, she knocked them both into the room. Emma crept down the aisle. Ruby and Belle followed, waiting patiently for Maleficent to go into the cupboard. Maleficent hovered and Emma’s hands shook as she slowly edged out. Ruby widened her eyes and wafted her hands in a ‘cross’ shape, but half of Emma’s body was in sight. If only Maleficent would turn around—

There was a loud slam followed by a sharp cry. Maleficent followed the sound, knowing Regina all too well. “Problem?” she asked, leaving Emma no choice but to run quickly towards the door.

Ruby and Belle followed, their footsteps alerting the witches. Before they’d even shut the door completely, a blast of magic sent them spiralling backwards. Emma tumbled to her back, groaned then flopped in a star shape. This night was the worst of her life and she’d once spent a brief period sleeping on a piece of cardboard under a bridge.

Regina stood with her arms outstretched so the door remained firmly open, clattering slightly like wind was pushing it in conflicting directions. “_Where the hell is my book?” _

Emma tensed, but remaining on the ground would be as good as giving up. She dragged herself up then glanced to her right. Belle clutched an arm against her body, whilst Ruby’s arm was wrapped around her. “Get her out of here,” Emma said to Ruby. They both hesitated, but Emma couldn’t handle either of them getting hurt. “Go! I’ll be right behind you.”

Belle shook her head pain and shot down her arm. When she flinched, Ruby made the decision for them, directing Belle towards the door. “I’ll come back for you,” she said before leading her girlfriend to safety. 

The three witches sauntered out of the small cupboard. Emma eyed them sharply and moved her fingers as if she was making jazz hands, not that any surprising thing happened when she did.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Regina asked. “And where is my book?”

“Not here,” Emma said.

“You were going to trap us like rats?!” Zelena squeaked. “Don’t you know we have feelings?”

“Shut it,” Maleficent hissed.

Then those blue eyes were looking at Emma, but she couldn’t hold her gaze. Then she remembered the article and managed a snort.

A flicker of terror had ignited, but perhaps the others could get the book out of here and without it, at least she hoped, her heart would be useless.

“I know all about you,” Emma said, pacing backwards when Regina moved closer. “How you ruthlessly kill. You started a fire that killed children. All because your husband found out about your affair with Graham.”

Regina’s lip curled at the edges, her eyes hardening. “You know nothing,” she hissed, her voice hoarse. Her arm lifted slowly, lips muttering something Emma couldn’t hear and was grateful for, but before she could enact what she had planned, Maleficent took a hold of her arm.

“I believe you want answers more,” she said to Emma, and their gazes held like they were on the roof. The crazy thing was, Emma’s instincts didn’t tingle, hadn’t once set off when she’d looked to the blonde witch.

“I’m not like you,” she said, dropping her gaze. “I wouldn’t hurt people for revenge.”

“Revenge?” Regina’s chuckle was deep, malicious. “_Lies.” _

Neither sister could hold Regina back when she flung magic from her hands, but Emma lifted her arms over her head on instinct, blocking the magic and sending it right back. They stumbled, but it hadn’t made much of an impact.

Regina righted herself. “That’s not what happened,” she said quickly. “It’s all lies.”

Emma shook her head and swallowed down the lump that came from the building tears. She hated crying and willed them not to fall, but she trembled all over, especially when Maleficent placed a hand on Regina’s bicep.

“Regina’s telling the truth,” she said softly. “All we want is the book.”

“And _you,” _Regina sneered, those black splotches reappearing in her eyes. Expect when Emma’s gaze snapped to them, they disappeared. Regina gasped, hand going to her chest as she titled her head to regard Emma.

The damage was done, however, and before Zelena had even managed to open her mouth to protest at how ridiculous her sister was being, that warmth grew in Emma all over again. This time when the magic came out of her it flew towards them, picked them up then slammed them inside the room. Almost like it had known what she had desired.

When it flopped a tiredness washed over her. She wobbled slightly, then dragged herself towards the cupboard. If she missed this chance she would kick herself. Her hand gripped on the door, but just before she pushed it shut, Regina pushed herself to her knees, strands of hair sticking to her face and eyes which had morphed from ferocious to pleading.

“It’s all lies,” she repeated. “_Please.” _

Emma didn’t want to hear it. She slammed the door shut then locked it swiftly. A bang made her jump backwards. Then she stood staring at the door, the library around her coming back into focus, abandoned, quiet – apart from the slaps of palm against wood – but those Emma ignored, because the alternative was death.

Her feet paced backwards, wide eyes glued to the door to ensure it didn’t reopen. When she exited the building, she reached a hand behind herself until she could grab the handle. She slipped out quickly, pressed a shoulder against the wall then spun until her back was pressed against it.

Panting heavily, she slid down the wall and wrapped her arms around her knees. She buried her face and squished her eyes together where tears collected before spilling down her cheeks.


	5. Chapter 5

The fury swept through Regina like a tidal wave, but she was helpless to do anything other than slap both of her palms against the door. “Revenge?” she said, voice guttural as her face contorted to display her rage. “I’ll show her revenge.” 

She banged harder, tingles spreading over her palms. It was only when a hand gripped her elbow that she was forced to stop. “Enough,” Maleficent said, in that calm yet authoritarian tone she knew worked on Regina every time.

Regina tensed her arm and yanked, but it was half hearted at best. Either way, Maleficent was stronger. She always had been.

Regina lowered her aching arms by her sides. She breathed heavily and closed her eyes until her chest calmed, silently hoping Maleficent would be there to make the tightness inside her stomach loosen. But when Regina turned, Maleficent’s cold eyes stared back at her. Once she’d made her point, Maleficent turned away. 

“Mal,” she said, her voice coming out croaky. “This isn’t my fault.”

Zelena laughed, but not kindly, “It’s never your fault, is it?”

Her eyes were angry and glaring at her sister with so much fury that Regina took a step backwards. Maleficent slid down a wall so she could wrap her arms around her raised knees. The sight caused a lump to lodge in Regina’s throat.

But it wasn’t her fault and she wouldn’t let them blame her when, when… “If we think then we can get out of here, find _her_ and get my—”

“Book?” Maleficent tipped her chin upwards. “Maybe if you hadn’t written about us in your precious book they wouldn’t have taken my daughter.”

Zelena hummed, and Regina wished she could leave this god forsaken box room and never return. “I didn’t wish for him to find it,” she said, softer now. “That I regret. I’m…” she wouldn’t apologise, she couldn’t. Regina hadn’t been the one to make those orders. “But it’ll all be for nothing, if—”

“If what?” Zelena took a step away from the corner. A few more steps and they would be nose to nose. “What’s the point? They’re dead. All of them. What exactly are you planning to do? Murder an innocent…”

“Innocent?” Regina chuckled. “She’s like the rest of them. And even worse, she’s one of _us._” 

The thought had Regina’s jaw clench. They didn’t turn on their own kind. It went against everything she’d ever stood for. But the anger burnt through every defence she had in place, threatening to burn her if she didn’t act upon it.

Zelena cocked her head, “I told you we needed to talk about that witch.”

“I wasn’t to know.”

It was a lie. An obvious one. Regina hadn’t wanted to know, because knowing went against her own survival. Somewhere deep inside it made her shudder, but the current state of her heart easily fought off those thoughts, reminding her that a girl who would leave them to die should be given the same consideration in return.

“Wasn’t to know?” Maleficent said. “You were there. She has magic, we should have been prepared. And,” she said, extending the word. “I believed we _could _have gotten through to her if you had stopped constantly threatening her life.”

“So you would prefer it if this has all been for nothing?” Regina asked.

“We could have found another way,” Zelena said. 

“There isn’t another way.” But as Regina said it, she wasn’t so sure. She hadn’t been able to think of anything other than ridding herself of the blackness in her heart. Her hand flattened over her chest, the others oblivious to the price she’d paid.

She looked down to her left hand and the gash across it. Perhaps it would be easier to explain. To show them what was at stake.

“We all had perfectly good lives,” Zelena added. “It was you who decided to destroy it all for some fling!” 

Regina inhaled sharply, “Perfect?”

The laugh that followed was cruel, but she was beyond caring. If they looked at her life and saw perfection, who knew what else they were capable of distorting.

“_You _might have,” Regina said. “But I certainly didn’t.”

Not when she had to be the docile wife by day and the submissive wife by night. Not with a mother that breathed down her neck and threatened to destroy everything she loved if she were to step out of line. She pressed the tip of her tongue to the scar on her upper lip and remembered Graham.

“You know mother would have never let me be happy,” Regina said. “She wanted—”

“Oh poor Regina who gets all of mother’s attention. She barley remembered she had a second daughter—”

“You think I wanted—”

“I think you liked it,” Zelena said.

Regina froze, her entire body stiffening at the insult of memories that flashed behind her eyes. Her eye lids fluttered shut and her chest shook. 

“Liked being her favourite,” Zelena continued. “Liked having the wealthiest man in the village dote on you. But even that wasn’t good enough, was it? Mother said I was the rebellious one when _you _were the one to shack up with some maid. _You _killed your husband because you couldn’t handle a proper man—”

“Zelena,” Maleficent warned. “That’s enough.”

“Enough!” Zelena laughed. “I promised to help you escape. I never asked for any of this.”

When Regina’s eyes opened they were hardened. They bore into her sister like she could incinerate her with a look. They’d fought for years over the topic of their mother, and although as time prevailed they had come to understand mother had been pitting them against each other, the scars of their childhoods would coil around any rational thought until, once again, their mother would remain the victor.

Maleficent dragged herself upwards and stood directly in Regina’s line of sight. She gripped onto Regina’s upper arms, but the last thing Regina wanted was comfort. So she shook her arms until Maleficent let go, ignoring the hurt look that crossed her face. 

“Don’t touch me,” she said, turning her back to them. “You can all rot in hell.”

Meanwhile, Regina had to figure out how to extract the heart of that girl. If they couldn’t stomach it, fine, she would do what had to be done. What they did she could care less. Ignoring the muttering behind her, she placed her fingertips over her chest once more, quickly tugging the heart out.

The sight of it almost had her squeeze it herself, until she reminded herself the darkness could be ridded of if only she could find a way out of here. Regina cupped it in her palm, turning it around, frowning at the tiny little red spot that hadn’t been there before. There wasn’t time to analyse it, every second they were in here was a second wasted.

She plunged it back inside then swallowed down her pride. “I apologise,” she said, not with much sincerity, but a gentle hand brushed against her own before retreating nonetheless.

There had been many times when she’d sought out comfort within Maleficent after her wedding. And Maleficent hadn’t needed explanations, was able to fill in the gaps and offer potions that reduced the ache of her body and numbed her mind. Zelena was spared most of the reality, or perhaps she had lied to herself, wanting more than a loveless marriage to a man who could hardly provide.

But at least Zelena’s husband had had kind eyes. Regina would have settled for nothing of value if she could have had the same. The maid that had come with her husband had beautiful brown eyes, and she would smile ever so slightly when Regina entered the same room as her, so perhaps that’s what had initially drew Regina in. She would have run away with her even if it meant leaving all riches behind.

When Regina turned once again, she plastered on a mask she had once used for the world. “Whatever our differences, we cannot stay locked in here,” she said, and when Zelena managed a small nod, Maleficent a gentle smile, Regina realised the mistake she had made when it came to Emma.

Be hostile and receive hostility in return, but if she were to be kind, perhaps the girl’s defences would lower, and the protective magic would be slower on the uptake around someone she believed she could trust. Regina had played pretend all her life, this was nothing she couldn’t handle.

* * *

At Ruby’s house, red plastic cups were spread out over the ground, the unending loop of music playing, whilst strobe lights flashed behind the plastic sheet where silhouettes bobbed up and down, the party continuing as if nothing monumental had happened. Now she had been catapulted back into normalcy, the Book grew heavy in Emma’s arms.

Ruby grimaced and muttered something about paying for a cleaning crew before her parents killed her. Emma hardly heard, too focused on the cup she had beneath her foot. She slowly shifted her weight until the crinkle turned into a sharp crack. The pair glanced back at her with weary expressions that Emma dutifully ignored.

Her mind was still on the witches, still on the rooftop with Maleficent, still on Regina’s eyes as she’d claimed Emma’s knowledge was a lie before the warmth had grown from her chest. Knowing she should try to forget about it and managing to do so wasn’t as easy when she feared the magic would reappear at any moment.

She held onto the Book tighter, huddling beside the couple as they made their way through the foyer. Next to the giant bowl of candy, a couple was pressed in the corner, lips mushing together as if no one could see. Emma crinkled her nose, peered into the tub and grabbed herself a handful of candy from the few that remained.

Ruby chuckled, but it was obviously forced. “This rowdy lot has had enough,” she said, attempting a smile. Emma shrugged, the candy bars clenched tightly in her fist. Ruby’s smile dropped as she grabbed the plastic container before tipping her chin towards the spiral staircase.

Emma felt like shit, wishing she could put on a façade for them. They’d found her huddled up outside the library. They’d returned like Ruby had promised. But as they clambered up the stairs, soft paws running beside them, she couldn’t find it in herself to pretend.

They all scrambled into Ruby’s room which was more spacious than anything Emma had ever seen. A double bed with a deep red bedspread and enough pillows to get lost within took the spotlight. The bright yellow dress Belle had worn earlier hung from a clothes railing that had a dozen similar other dresses hanging from it.

Emma hovered on the perimeter whilst the couple plonked down on the bed. Mary Margaret followed, her paws landing on the soft spread. She sighed and sat herself down, as if a weight had been lifted from her tiny cat shoulders. “I never thought I’d see this day,” she said, and still Emma remained by the door.

“Come on in,” Ruby said, offering an encouraging smile, the candy bowl by her feet.

Emma shut the door behind her, dimming the music from downstairs to a low hum. Thoughts of sitting on the bed came and went; it felt too intimate, so instead, she perched on the love seat that sat to one side of the bed. With the Book in her lap, she tugged open a mini-snickers and shoved it into her mouth.

Belle pulled off her jacket then twisted her arm. There was a bruise near her elbow, but nothing more. After checking it her gaze moved towards the next causality. “Are you okay?” she asked Emma. “What happened back there?”

Emma shrugged. She didn’t want to explain it. Didn’t even want to think about what she had done.

“Well I am thankful,” Mary Margaret said. “I’ve been waiting years for this. All I ever wanted was to be with my family.”

“They really hurt you?” Emma asked. When the answer was _yes_ as Emma had known it would be, it didn’t ease the guilt clawing away at her stomach. Her free hand brushed over the Book’s cover. Then she grabbed for another candy bar.

“On the night of the fire my son Neal was badly burnt,” Mary Margaret said. Belle stroked her fur softly, but instead of protesting she purred. “They lured him into their cabin, but by the time I got there he, along with my husband, were gone. I alerted the mob who were trying to find them, and as revenge, they turned me into this. An immortal cat so I could never be reunited with them, even in death.”

Mary Margaret sighed, leaning slightly into Belle. It was everything Emma needed to hear, but _the mob _and _that’s not what happened _and Regina’s pleading eyes as she’d said _it’s all lies _swam around and around her mind. She grabbed the final candy bar, pushing the wrappers into her jeans’ pocket.

“Did you ever find out what happened to them?” Belle asked. 

Mary Margaret bowed her head. “No. I presumed they didn’t make it.”

Emma lowered her head into her hands and squeezed her eyes tightly. A few moments later soft paws landed on her shoulder, Mary Margaret perching on the chair arm. “I’ve had lifetimes to grieve,” she said, misinterpreting Emma’s thoughts. “You did the right thing.”

Emma pulled the cat onto her lap and cuddled her gently. “_What if we’re wrong?” _she asked so quietly that even Mary Margaret didn’t hear. She couldn’t afford to voice the question, didn’t want it to have existed within her mind, so instead, she looked towards the couple who had pushed themselves up against the headboard, legs stretched out with the candy bowl between them.

“Chuck us another,” Emma said, knowing chocolate wouldn’t solve anything, but the sweet taste did make her feel better for a few minutes.

Ruby grabbed one and launched it at her. “You’re welcome to crash here tonight,” she said. “And there’s more candy if you want anymore. It wouldn’t be Halloween if we didn’t have a sugar overdose.” She winked and Belle chuckled, lowering her head to Ruby’s shoulder.

“Thanks,” Emma muttered, unwrapping more candy. As she swallowed her stomach protested slightly, so she slumped down on the chair with a pout eyeing the candy bowl like it was somehow the enemy. She stroked Mary Margaret, and asked her, “What happens to you?”

“Once the candle goes out, I finally find peace.”

Emma swallowed. “You mean you die?”

“It has to be this way.”

The part of her that had been abandoned countless times wanted to protest, the other that told her it was her fault kept her silent.

“It’s been nice getting to know you,” Belle said.

Emma hummed, her fingers moving slowly and eyes fluttering now she’d laid her head against the chair. She closed them easily, listening to the hum of music and the hushed chatter coming from the other side of the room.

When she next opened her eyes only a single lamp lit the room. A blanket had been placed over her shoulders. Emma smiled a little, tugging it up to her chin. The couple lay on their sides, chest rising and falling slowly as Ruby had a protective arm around Belle’s waist. Mary Margaret had curled up on the bed. The music continued, and when Emma checked her phone, it had yet to reach midnight.

She went to curl her legs up when the weight prevented her. Her other hand had a tight grip on the Book. Pulling it out, she quickly glanced around the room before flipping to the page she’d last been reading, curiosity outweighing sense. Besides, the witches were trapped, they couldn’t use the beacon to find them.

What she found was more of the same. Details on potions and spells that she couldn’t understand. It was similar until eventually some anecdotes made their way into the margins. Little notes that said things like _for mother _and _should heal the sick children _and _for the women who need it most (side effects of cramping and a slight bleed, some sickness…) _

Emma stared at the words and wondered which one of the witches had written them. Who had wanted to heal children and their mother and help other women, and why had none of this been documented? Had she tried them on herself first and suffered the side effects? The more she read the more tangible they appeared to be, as if she was reading a gripping novel and falling for the characters. Except these were real women, with real lives and Emma pushed those thoughts away and flipped to a random page.

_We lost him. His tiny lungs stopped during the night. The mother was devastated and although Maleficent tried to remind me I had done everything I could, I feel dreadful. The night has passed me by. Zelena retired for the evening and has since reappeared, has offered to experiment whilst I sleep, but I must perfect this potion. _

Regina’s book; it makes sense they’d be Regina’s words, but what Emma had seen of this woman, the attempt she had made on her life doesn’t match them. Yet after reading them, she finds she had wished them to be hers all along. Perhaps if she had been telling the truth then her reckless thoughts could be justified.

Emma went back to the start of the entries and read until her eyes hurt. She read about her controlling mother and the magic lessons she hated. _I thought perhaps I had made a friend. Of course, mother made sure that it would never last. _Emma ran the tip of her finger over the next sentence: _I’m lonely. _

Two little words and Emma’s heart sped up. The loneliness almost bled from the pages, days and days only detailing the riding lessons, the time spent grooming and caring for her horse, magic lessons, the writings long and sometimes detailing insignificant moments.

She mentioned her sister on occasion, but with infrequency and usually ending with _I wish she would understand. _Mentions of her father were rare, but whenever he would appear, pages and pages of childhood memories would be filled until Emma almost felt like she had experienced those moments herself.

A lot of Regina’s days seemed similar, and of course, the magic spells and potions were added as she learned. That lasted only until the day Maleficent appeared. Regina wrote about her sweaty palms and the unusual envy she would feel over her beauty, how she appeared tongue tied every time they would speak.

Emma smirked a little, recognising the signs, then rolled her eyes as she imagined Regina had when sparse sentences were added about the men who tried to court her or the ones her mother would point out. 

_I find myself seldom interested in any of these men. I do not understand why. _

Followed by:

_Mother loves Maleficent’s power, has chosen to bring her into our coven as a ‘sister,’ though mother frequently reminds me of my inferiority to this witch. But I very much enjoy her company, it would not do me well to allow mother to know how much. _

The writing became less frequent now Regina was part of this coven, or as Emma suspected, spending more time with Maleficent. It became flowery at times, optimistic, and once she used up an entire page writing about the time Maleficent had brushed hair from her face. It surprised Emma that one entry simply contained: _Maleficent kissed me. _

She half expected the rest of this book to be filled with the details, though Emma reminded herself quickly that during the seventeenth century she could have been deemed, well… a witch. It took a week for another entry to be added, aside from the potions and generic entries, and Emma sighed at Regina’s optimism, the multiple kisses they’d shared since, the night _I fell asleep in Maleficent’s arms and woke up within them. I don’t know whether this is love, but I would very much like it to continue even though I know it cannot. I will soon turn eighteen. Mother will make sure I marry. _

For some reason, Emma imagined that she had been older. She checked the date, 1686, seven years before her death, meaning, when she had been hung, she had been twenty-five. _Hung. _Emma shivered and willed herself not to imagine it. 

Ignoring the pang in her chest, Emma read more to discover Regina had been right about her mother. But just when she began to feel terrible, two sentences reminded her why she shouldn’t. _Graham’s dead. It’s all my fault. _There was nothing further about what had happened, and Emma was oddly grateful.

The next six months little was written. Regina wrote about her wedding in one and a half sentences: _The worst day of my life. All I… _then she stopped writing, and there were more entries like this, vague writings and incomplete thoughts, memories too painful to be written down. Emma’s throat tightened.

That was until one paragraph made her breath catch. _Last night, I laid with Maleficent. I’d never felt so secure, so alive. I wish it could be like this all the time. _

Emma read about their affair, the nights they had spent together, the way Maleficent had been there for Regina when no one else was. The affair eventually fizzled, but their friendship remained strong. Around two years before their deaths, Maleficent fell in love with a respected man and became pregnant shortly afterwards.

Regina didn’t write much about how she felt about this, but hurt and understanding were laced within her words whenever the subject would arise. Until the baby was born. _Lilith is the most precious thing I have ever seen. Plus, she has the witches’ mark. With the rest of Maleficent’s family gone, this little girl will allow their blood line to live on. _

Emma’s thumb brushed on the inside of her wrist as she read. The birthmark there had always given her a sense of closeness to the parents who had dumped her on the side of the road, even if she knew the little mark didn’t mean much.

In-between all of this, Regina had begun to mention a maid named Daniella. How her heart would race at the sight of her and how all the torment that had led her there had been almost worth it. The more Emma read the more her eyes grew wet.

Pieces of parchment had been attached, love letters from Daniella that Regina could not bare to part with. They were lengthy and heart felt and Emma found herself routing for them even knowing how it must have ended. They were in love, sneaking around in the days and during the nights when her husband was away.

_We went riding today, shared one horse, so her arms were held tightly around my waist. I could have ridden this way forever, had thoughts of continuing, imagined finding an abandoned cottage where we could spend our days. Of course, I could never leave my family or sisters, but perhaps one day my love for her will outweigh my obligations. _

_I suspect I am close already. _

Emma’s eyes closed and her chest vibrated when she breathed. There weren’t many pages left, so Emma willed herself to read on, already suspecting where it would lead. Except, it ended abruptly. All that remained were blank pages.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a minor trigger warning for this chapter. It's in the end notes if anyone would rather be prepared before reading.

She was an idiot. An absolute train wreck of an idiot who had actually believed they could keep the witches contained. The door to the cupboard was open and with no witches in sight, Emma had no choice but to pull out her phone and dial the number she had, apparently, only added that morning.

Emma pressed the phone to her ear. “Erm, Ruby.”

Emma paced as Ruby groaned. From the other end of the line sheets rustled then a door shut softly. She imagined Belle was still sleeping, Mary Margaret by her feet, both about to be disturbed when Ruby would zoom out of the bathroom with the unfortunate news.

“Where are you?” Ruby finally asked.

Emma cringed, suddenly guilty for not bothering to leave a note. Though she couldn’t imagine what she would have written. ‘I felt awful about what happened to the witch who tried to kill me, so I’m going to free all three them in the off chance she doesn’t try it again because I can’t leave them there.’ It would have been ridiculous.

At least with the cupboard empty, they would be so focused on this disaster they might never have to hear that explanation. 

“The library—”

“Emma!”

“They’ve escaped.”

As she said the words Emma glanced around the room half expecting them to jump out. They could be anywhere, hiding behind these bookshelves, on their way to hunt them down, but before she could allow her mind to wander down to the worst possibilities, Emma heard the banging of a door.

“Belle?” Ruby said, “What’s—”

“Watch this,” Belle said, and whatever happened caused Ruby to gasp. Emma waited patiently, trying to hear what Ruby was watching, but other than a melody, she couldn’t make out what it could be.

“Emma,” Ruby said, a little strained. “We’ll meet you at the party at town hall.”

“Why?”

There was silence, but then her phone pinged. “Watch that,” Ruby said. “And be careful.” Then the line went dead leaving Emma alone in the library, with a video of—

Her eyes widened. The witches were at the party, on stage, singing _I put a spell on you, _whilst the entire room danced. Emma was mesmerized listening to their voices. They were good. Emma watched it for a second time, focusing on the way Regina threw an arm into the air and spun on the spot whilst holding a note.

Once it ended her finger hovered over the screen, ready to hit play again, but she shook her head and quickly hit her home button, the daze over her mind slowly fading.

Emma adjusted the backpack she’d borrowed, the Book jostling around, then made her way out of the building. Outside, the trick-or-treaters had already disappeared, leaving only rowdy college students and positively drunken adults. 

Why she was pacing towards the town hall and not away from it she wasn’t so sure. If they were still there, the moment the witches saw her, they could very easily retaliate for what she had done to them. But she had to see Regina again. There was no going back after what she’d read.

A few streets away from the party, a figure swaggered towards her. Glancing around the streets, Emma noted they were mostly empty, save for a few stragglers, so she tipped her chin upwards and walked with purpose. She noticed the leather first, and although the sight caused her eyes to roll, at least it was someone she recognised.

The idiot from her class – she couldn’t remember his name or had purposefully not learnt it out of spite – smirked when he saw her. “Finally come to your senses, love,” he said, moving closer still.

Emma shook her head, about to barge past him when his hands grabbed onto her shoulders. Emma moved her body from side to side, but it only made him tighten his grip. Her body stiffened and her feet moved in compliance with his until they were standing in an alleyway alone. 

Her body moved to alert, tightening as her eyes glanced over his shoulder towards the empty street. There was no one there, just a dingy alleyway with a broken fridge and empty fish tank. There was a door to her right, but one that only opened from the inside.

When she looked back at him, his lips curled into a satisfied smirk. She wanted to say something to wipe it from his face, but her throat was dry, and she couldn’t seem to remember how to move at all.

He took a step closer. “Can’t you at least give a man a minute of your time?” Emma took a step back. He matched it, his eyes hungry. He tapped a finger against his chin. “All you had to do was hear me out, but little miss stuck-up couldn’t even do that much. Could you?”

Before she could answer, he stepped closer again. Thanks to a spike of adrenaline she ducked sideways. But he realised in an instant, blocking her path and pushing so she became pressed up against the wall. All the ways she had learned to fend off an attacker flew into her mind and went away just as quickly.

Emma panted, a tremble causing goose bumps to rise along her skin. When he moved closer, her thoughts shifted to the Book that was cushioned in-between her and the wall, instead of the breath that was hot against hers. She squeezed her eyes and twisted her head when he moved closer. Wet lips and stubble brushed her cheek.

He pulled back and scoffed. “You’ll—”

A bright light flashed behind Emma’s eyelids. The pressure against her body disappeared. There was a crash and when she opened her eyes, his body laid in a heap beside the fish tank that had shattered.

Emma thought about running, calling for help, _something, _but all she could do was pant heavily with her palms pressed against the wall.

“You piece of vermin,” someone said. Emma whipped her head towards the sound, and sure enough, Regina stood there with her arms outstretched, her two sisters on either side. Emma let her head fall backwards, sagging slightly at the sight of the women.

And Regina watched the way Emma’s shoulders slouched and felt a protective wave wash through her. Emma was hers to deal with. No one else could touch her.

Zelena pointed a finger in his direction. “Up,” she said, moving her finger upwards. He was jostled into a standing position, though his feet hovered above the ground. His eyes were terrified as he wiggled against the magical grip.

“You _bitches_,” he spat. “You’d still be locked in that cupboard if it wasn’t for me.”

Regina snarled, “Deal with him,” then turned her attention to Emma. She rubbed the back of her palm against her cheek, glanced at Regina then scurried from the alley.

Bent in two, hands on her thighs, Emma gulped in air. Once Regina was certain her sisters could handle him, she cautiously moved herself by her side, placing a soft hand on her lower back. Emma glanced over her shoulder, surprise crossing her face at the concern in Regina’s eye.

Regina was surprised at herself too. She’d wanted nothing more than to fling Emma into the air for daring to trap them, but now there was a thickness in her throat, and she wished she could go back to when that cupboard door had opened and remind herself men were never to be trusted.

Regina swallowed thickly, “He was only supposed to lure you to that dreadful party.” It wasn’t enough of an apology, she knew it, but she’d never been all that good at giving them.

Emma stood up slowly, her brow furrowed like she couldn’t quite figure out if this was supposed to be a trap. It had been, Regina surmised, until that scum had to ruin it.

She offered Emma a half-hearted smile, because surely Regina couldn’t be expected to play nice for too long with the woman who had trapped her and left her to die. She supposed in the same circumstances she might have done the same, but that no longer mattered.

What mattered was Emma hadn’t run off, instead she’d played with the strap over her shoulder and kept glancing towards the alley. Perhaps she didn’t want to be alone. Something Regina could work with.

“I am…sorry, dear,” she said, and Emma’s eyes widened further.

“I was coming back for you,” she blurted, then shook her head and took a step backwards as if she had realised who she was having a civil conversation with. She looked towards the alley once more, but Zelena and Maleficent blocked her view, so she closed her eyes on a shaky breath. When she opened them again, she swung the bag from her back and opened the zip enough for Regina to be able to see the spine of a book.

Regina snatched the bag. Emma let her. It didn’t change anything, but… she owed Emma a single nod. A show of solidarity.

“You can keep the bag,” Emma said. “Well, it’s Ruby’s, but—”

The way she bit her lip and shrugged was oddly endearing. “Well,” Regina said, and slipped the bag onto her shoulders. It felt strange, but once she’d adjusted to the weight on her back, a calmness settled inside. She had Henry back. And Emma was… looking at her quite oddly.

“Regina, I—”

Regina blinked at the sound of her name, at the almost apologetic tone that surrounded it. But at the same moment, Zelena and Maleficent reappeared from the alley, a staggering man behind them.

His face was pale, hands trembling by his sides, a few cuts on his face. Regina smirked when his gaze met hers. His Adam’s apple bobbed, then he turned and ran down the street, shrieking. Emma glanced over Regina’s shoulder, no doubt watching him scramble away. 

With Emma’s words still floating in her mind her gaze fell back to the young woman, hoping she’d say whatever she had wanted to. But where Regina had thought charming her wouldn’t be an issue, the way Emma trembled made it difficult to flip that switch and put on the performance of her life.

One hand fisted around the strap on her shoulder as Emma’s eyes sought out Maleficent who eased towards her with a soft expression. “He won’t bother you again,” she said, and Emma nodded once. “Now—” she turned to Regina. “Are you going to behave?”

“And what in the world is that?” Zelena asked, tugging at one of the straps on Regina’s shoulders.

She stepped backwards, away from her sister’s annoying hands. “The Book,” she said, and as if mirroring exactly how she was feeling, they frowned.

“Since when?” Zelena asked.

“Since—” Regina swallowed and tipped her chin towards Emma. “Since she brought it back.”

It didn’t change a thing. The candle still flickered and her heart was still black. Perhaps there were other avenues to explore, but this would be the surest way to keep her alive.

“I felt bad,” Emma muttered, and her eyes flickered to Regina as if she was the only one whom the statement applied to. There was another flutter in her chest that left her breathless. It happened again when Emma said, “I’m sorry,” but stilled when her fearful eyes looked at them all. “But—” 

“No one’s going to hurt you,” Maleficent said. She rested a hand on Emma’s arm and squeezed softly. The next breath Emma took was calming and the trembling edged away. Regina gritted her teeth at how easily Maleficent had managed that. Then she turned towards Regina and said, “Isn’t that right?” and all Regina could do was nod, her jaw loosening.

“Yes,” she said without thinking. “We can…find another way.”

“Erm,” Emma mumbled, looking towards her feet. “Maybe I could help?”

Regina couldn’t believe her luck. She was about to agree when Zelena stepped between them with a glare. “And where exactly did this change of heart come from?” she asked. “If this is another trap...”

“It’s not! I swear.”

Zelena’s fists clenched and for a moment Maleficent took a step away from Emma whilst she was undoubtedly considering the possibility. Like Regina, she had been swept up in the need to protect Emma from that awful hermit, but now that glimmer had passed, leaving all of them a little uncertain.

Emma’s gaze moved between them, but the instant she hit Regina’s eyes she bowed her head. “The Book,” she whispered. Regina tensed, not needing to hear anymore. “I shouldn’t have—” her eyes finally meeting Regina’s, but they were harder now, not in anyway soft and gentle and intriguing in the way she needed.

“No,” Regina said, not caring if her voice was rough and angry. “You shouldn’t have.”

Her hand clenched around the strap, stomach curdling whilst she begged to ask just how much of her private diary she had read, how many of her private thoughts she had invaded; the unforgivable intrusion enough to put any stupid idea of ‘another way’ out of her mind.

Not completely, because she would need to keep up the ruse, and with that in mind, she carefully concealed her true feelings before catching Emma’s eyes. “But what is done, is done,” she said. “And we will need all the help we can get if we are going to survive.”

Maleficent sighed in relief whilst Zelena crossed her arms and looked at her sister like she had gone mad. But it was Emma’s nod that Regina was after. Her curled blonde hair bounced around her face and caught between thoughts of how naïve Emma was, came the thought that perhaps she was quite pretty, conventionally at least. Not that it mattered. She had the book now and Emma didn’t know just how easily she’d walked into Regina’s plan. 

* * *

On the way to the cabin, Emma wasn’t sure if this decision was the bravest or most stupid one she’d ever made. And there had been _a lot _of bad choices in her past.

The three witches passed along ideas as they walked, but even Emma could tell they were frustrated. Regina would clench her jaw, but instead of retaliating, she would glance over her shoulder and upon seeing Emma, she would take a breath. It was probably nothing, Emma hoped.

Emma was wondering if she should sneak off now she’d returned the Book, but although Regina remained an unknown, Emma trusted Maleficent. There was also the small matter of the magic that had flowed out of her. It was a good enough reason to keep on trailing behind them. She didn’t allow herself to think about why it had appeared in the first place.

The thought of walking alone wasn’t very appealing either. It made her tremble harder. It didn’t mean much. It was cold out and all she had on was her red leather jacket that wasn’t suited for colder temperatures. It made sense that she couldn’t stop shivering and had her arms wrapped around her waist and kept glancing around waiting for someone to jump out—

Nothing had happened. _Nothing. _She had been lucky they had turned up when they did. There wouldn’t be a next time. She’d been considering taking a martial arts class anyway. Emma didn’t want to think about it, tucked it deep inside her mind where it will never be accessed again, because she’ll be fine. She always was.

When Regina glanced back this time, it didn’t seem to make her less angry, if anything, Emma shrivelling in on herself only made her nostrils flare. Regina’s pace slowed, but her face froze when she went to speak.

“It’s fine,” Emma whispered. Her eyes stung and she blinked quickly, but then her throat tightened and when she attempted a smile it was watery. “I’m fine.”

They were close to the cabin, anyway, a few more roads and she’d be tucked away. Perhaps not safely, but tucked away nonetheless. Their boots pattered along the sidewalk as two globes shone in the distance. Emma recognised the roar of the engine, but the three witches stopped, their eyes almost as wide as the headlights.

Regina’s arms were out by her sides, over Maleficent and Zelena’s stomachs, holding them back from the absolute horror of… a bus. Emma chuckled and quickly wiped the single tear from her cheek. The bus stopped, the three witches paced backwards, freezing as the doors opened. They screamed in unison.

The bus driver frowned, “Can I help you ladies?”

“What is this…contraption?” Maleficent asked.

“Hush—” Regina flapped her hand against Maleficent’s ribs who flinched then rubbed the offended area. “Move along,” she said to him, and wafted her hand in his direction. The doors closed and the bus carried on down the road. She quickly glanced towards Emma, and upon noticing the little smirk and the way Emma was holding in her laugh, she rolled her eyes and sighed.

They continued to the cabin, managing to reach the woods without further interruption. But something brushed Emma’s leg. She jumped sideways, looking around with alert eyes before sighing at the little ball of white fluff. Then she cringed, because Mary Margaret had been put through something terrible because of them. Not that the Book supported it. Now Emma had read it, it almost seemed out of character.

Before she could dwell, the cat swiped at Regina’s dress and hissed.

“Off, mutt,” Regina said, batting the cat away. Mary Margaret dropped to all fours, swiped once against Regina’s shin, and judging by the way the witch flinched and bent over to place her palm against the area, Mary Margaret had used claws.

“You’ll pay for that,” Regina said, but Mary Margaret had already turned and was trotting back towards Emma.

“How dare you leave me?” she said. “I warned you. Nothing good will come of this.”

Emma bit her lip, going to apologise then thought better off it. “Lay off, will you?” she said instead. She was more than capable of making her own decisions, though as she said it, Regina righted herself and smirked before following her sisters inside the cabin.

Mary Margaret clearly did not want to make this easy for her. With each step Emma took, the cat would dive in front of her leg, almost as if they were performing for a show, the cat able to run in and out of Emma’s legs with precision, but where that would be cute, this was infuriating.

Emma took a giant step to overtake her, ignoring her protests, and went to the door. There she hesitated, trapped between the woods and the giant cauldron and the three women who worked around it. As much as Mary Margaret was getting on her nerves, she was undoubtedly looking out for her, so she stood long enough to allow the cat to slip through the door before she closed it.

“Emma!” Mary Margaret shouted. “What do you think you’re doing?”

She groaned, suddenly regretting the decision and wondered if it would be amoral to throw a person-come-cat outside. She didn’t owe her an explanation. For her entire life she’d been making decisions for herself, the last thing Emma wanted was for someone to come in and think they knew better.

So instead Emma ignored the claws digging into her jeans and focused on the witches. “What do we do now?”

“Research,” Regina said, rolling her eyes unnecessarily.

Regina returned to the book she was reading, the other witches doing much of the same. There were multiple laid out over the table, and a weird orange liquid in a beaker that Zelena squinted at before running the tip of her finger over a page. She sighed then forcefully flipped it over.

“What am I supposed to be looking for?” Emma asked, inching closer, intrigued and eager to help. However, she was unable to reach the table due to the claws that dug into her ankles. “Would you knock it off?” She had begun to like the cat, but she was behaving like an asshole. “Keep it up and I’ll throw you outside.” Moral code be damned.

Mary Margaret hissed before trotting snottily away. Regina chuckled softly as Emma was finally able to join them. “Anything to do with prolonging life,” she explained.

“Or the candle,” Maleficent added.

Emma nodded then pulled a book closer, but just as in Regina’s book, nothing made any sense to her. “It’s all gibberish,” she muttered, causing Zelena to look up and frown.

“What does that mean?” she asked, and Emma simply looked at her for a long moment. Maleficent seemed gentle, somehow, and Regina was volatile which made Emma want to hurtle things at her head, but this was the first time Zelena had really spoken to her. Part of Emma wanted to gloat like she’d gotten someone to notice her. It wasn’t something she imagined she would feel.

“Erm,” she muttered. “I don’t understand any of it—”

But then she looked down again, and the weird patterns began to swirl and move, to combine until words she could read formed on the page. Just like the candle. “Wait—” she grabbed the book and began to read it. “Oh, I don’t think this one is helpful.”

“You can read it?” Zelena asked.

Maleficent placed both elbows on the table, leaning closer with a strange look. “What do you see?” she asked.

“Patterns, at first. Like swirls and dots and lines, but then they sort of line up and make words.” Regina glanced up and shared a look with her sister whilst Maleficent’s head tipped sideways as if in thought. “Is that not the same for everyone?”

“No,” Regina said. She moved her eyes between Maleficent and Emma, confusion washing over her face, then concern, then she seemed to travel deep inside of her mind, her eyes unblinking. “But no matter,” she said, shook her head then dived into another book.

“Our mother taught us to read magic,” Zelena said. “It’s a language all of its own, you see. Some witches need to learn to understand it, whilst others can—”

“Transform the language to their own,” Maleficent added. “Like me. And you.”

Emma nodded, shuffling uncomfortably. “Maybe I should call the others,” she said quickly, casting a quick glance towards Mary Margaret who had sat herself on one of the tables and was watching them with weary eyes. The quick text she had sent them was hardly adequate and she would much rather have them tell her she was crazy over seeing more of these swirls turn into words.

“Maybe Belle could help,” she added. “She’s like an expert and erm… already seemed to think you were all innocent.”

“Yet you didn’t listen to her?” Regina asked, not moving her gaze from the page.

Emma shrugged, “At first. But then with the whole heart grabbing…”

“I’m not going to apologise for that,” Regina said. Emma flinched. Regina’s jaw clenched and her eyes closed. The other witches glared at her, not that she was able to see. The solitude was nice all the same. Then Regina’s eyes opened, and she looked right at her. “Emma—”

Emma shook her head, taking a step backwards. Regina’s nails dug into the table, creating an awful screeching that made Emma’s head hurt more. The sound stopped when Regina noticed Emma’s scrunched face, sighed deeply then turned away.

“Regina,” Maleficent hissed, but Emma was already moving away.

With Mary Margaret tucked beneath her arm, she moved towards the door. “I’ll give Ruby and Belle a call,” she said. “I should let them know what’s going on at least.”

Once the door slammed Regina prepared herself for the onslaught. The need to yank Emma’s heart out had lessened considerably, not that it would matter to them. Perhaps it had something to do with the way Emma had been ignoring Snow. Or more likely, she was gaining more control over her actions, her mother had given her exceptional training after all. 

But nothing came. Instead, Zelena tried to peer out the window. “A call? Its obvious blondie has magic, but how does she know how to use it?”

Maleficent flicked through more pages, sighing deeply. “Do stop staring,” she said, disinterest in her voice. “You’re being creepy.” 

“I’m not a creep,” Zelena hissed. She stomped her foot then purposefully yanked at a book, the one Maleficent had been reaching for. “It’s not nice to call people names.”

“You’re worse than a child.” Maleficent shot her a glance but ignored her in favour of placing all her attention on Regina. “Are you going to tell Mary Margaret what really happened that night? It would save all of this animosity.”

“Why should I?” she asked. “She destroyed our lives because she couldn’t keep her mouth shut.” As far as Regina was concerned, that woman had deserved everything that had happened to her.

Regina rolled up her sleeves, her eyes narrowing when Emma returned, Mary Margaret still in her arms. “Why are you so obsessed with Snow?”

“My name isn’t Snow,” Mary Margaret hissed. She _despised _being given a name that should belong to a cat, and Regina knew it. “And I have Emma’s best interests in mind.”

Regina’s pinched look only tightened. She could hardly argue against that and mean it. But it did give her a sense of satisfaction when Emma placed her down with an eye roll. “Can you guys cool it for a minute?” she asked, sighing deeply.

“I’m not hot,” Regina said, frowning. “And anyway, you chose to shackle yourself to that woman.”

For the first time that evening, Emma smirked then pushed her lips together to smoother it. “I don’t mean literally,” she said. “It means to like cool down your attitude.”

“My attitude isn’t hot, either,” Regina said, even though she could almost understand this twenty first century slang. It made Emma giggle though. Just for a moment.

“I mean stop fighting,” she said, and then her expression grew serious and Regina didn’t bother to continue the façade. “And well, Mary Margaret has every reason to hate you guys, considering what—”

“Considering she got her facts wrong?” Regina looked pointedly between Emma and Mary Margaret before pinching the bridge of her nose. Perhaps it would be amusing to put that cat in her place. “I did not kill her family. In fact, I saved that little boy’s life, and he was very much alive when he escaped with his father.”

Except, after she had said it she didn’t wait to see Mary Margaret’s reaction, because she was too busy watching the way Emma’s eyebrows only raised slightly as if it made all the sense in the world.

“You’re lying!” Mary Margaret said. She sat back, her small chest visibly inflating and deflating.

“His name was Neal,” Maleficent said. Abandoning the research, she walked towards them and placed a hand on Regina’s arm. “The fire burnt across his chest and left arm. Once we realised the fire had spread out of our control, we began to concoct remedies. It healed ninety per cent of the burns, enough for him to live a full life—”

“No,” she whispered, bowing her little head. “It can’t be.” 

“His father, David,” Maleficent continued, “Came to the cabin with the same accusations as you. Except once he understood we were healing the people we had taken, he allowed us to continue. They both left alive. It is not our fault that you presumed we hurt them.”

Regina watched as Emma’s shoulders relaxed, watched as she scooped up the cat and held the trembling body against her chest. Mary Margaret let out a sad cry, so Emma buried her hand in her fur. “I believe her,” she said softly, and Regina watched her still. “That’s a good thing, right?”

“My son grew up without me.”

“At least he had his father,” Emma whispered. “It’s more than some of us.” Regina cocked her brow, but she wouldn’t allow her curiosity to side track her. “You’ve got me now. I’ve always wanted a cat of my own.” The way Emma spoke was comforting. Even Mary Margaret purred softly. “I won’t treat you like a house cat. I promise.”

Mary Margaret chuckled and peeked her head up. “Thank you, Emma. And—” her head swivelled to the blonde-haired witch. “Thank you for allowing me to know the truth.” Maleficent nodded, cast an accusatory stare at Regina then got back to work.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Regina said. “She’s had centuries to grieve. And she still told the mob where to find us before coming here to gloat and accuse us of mass-murder.”

“And she’s paid her dues” Maleficent said. “Enough is enough.”

Emma placed the cat down. She wondered just how much more information she had gotten wrong, how there was so much more to these women. When she caught Maleficent’s eye, Emma smiled softly, and when she received one in return it made her a little giddy. Maleficent was like the wise old aunt of the family, nothing like the articles had said.

“I suppose,” Regina said reluctantly. “You are right. If we want to survive, we leave the past buried,” she said, insinuating those final words with a pointed look towards Emma, one that flickered to her precious Book and back.

Emma held her gaze in understanding. “Then we should get back to work,” she said, and although there were questions burning on the tip of her tongue, Regina’s looks would range from predatory to curious, so for now, Emma resigned herself to let them burn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: a potential non-consensual situation arises, with an almost non-con kiss, but it's stopped before anything goes too far.


	7. Chapter 7

The initial shock that Emma had the power to read witch language like it was her own faded into background noise quickly enough. It happened on instinct whenever she would read a text, and although she would still reach for the next book tentatively, being too scared to read them wouldn’t get them very far.

So, she combined this magic with her twenty first century education. If the mountain of reading that her college courses required had taught Emma anything, it was how to skim a text and pull out the necessary information.

It didn’t mean she was up for much more than reading, however, so when Regina asked for her assistance to make a basic potion, she didn’t hesitate to pass on the opportunity. It currently sat brewing in the corner, ready for when their eyelids would grow heavy, almost like magical coffee, though Emma had no intension of finding out for herself.

For the most part, however, she’d been on her own mission. There might not be another chance for this particular area of research, so in-between looking for candle references, she’d been looking for a way out of this. Though the spell books seemed more focused on amplifying magical gifts and all sorts of incarnations and spells than what she was looking for.

Emma wasn’t ready to ask them either, and without Mary Margaret as a buffer, she decided it could wait. The cat had wanted to be alone, leaving shortly after learning the truth about her family, and Emma could hardly blame her. Though she felt more alone after she’d left, even surrounded by the three witches.

They didn’t pay her much attention. Regina had climbed on a stool on the other side of the cabin, Henry open on the table in front of her and she hadn’t lifted her eyes since.

Zelena and Maleficent were making a potion, one that was bubbling in the clear beaker and smelled like raw eggs. Emma’s nose scrunched up and she abandoned the stairs in favour of moving to the window furthest from the smell, even if that’s exactly where Regina was sat.

She wasn’t necessarily scared of Regina, not since the alleyway at least, but that didn’t stop the weird nervous energy from bubbling up whenever she was close. Emma pushed open the window, breathed in the fresh air then turned towards Regina.

When Regina didn’t so much as twitch, Emma inched closer then bounced on her toes beside the table. “What are they making?” she asked, but all Regina did was briefly glance up, roll her eyes then look back down.

“Nothing good.”

Emma nodded, then dragged out a stool. It squeaked, causing Regina to huff in annoyance. “Sorry,” Emma muttered, shuffling herself onto it. Her hands wrung together in her lap, because that’s not all she was sorry for. “Look I’m—”

Regina sighed, loudly. Her dark eyes stopped scanning the words, her expression stilling as if she was lost in thought, though whatever thoughts had been running wild in her mind faded and were replaced with a sad smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “What’s done is done,” Regina said. “Now, are you helping or not?”

Emma’s mouth opened slightly, her internal alarm bells ringing. Regina wasn’t as good at pretending as she believed, but Emma had no idea what exactly she was trying to hide. The last thing she wanted to do was call Regina out when she didn’t know exactly what she’d be calling her out for.

It was probably about the Book. There were many painful memories within those pages, and if it were her diary that had been read, Emma doubted she would be very warm towards the person who had done the trespassing either.

Before she could voice her thoughts, Zelena yelped then lifted the beaker into the air. The liquid inside fizzled then settled to a solid green. It looked revolting, yet Zelena stroked her fingers along the edge and said, “My beauty!” before tipping it into her mouth.

She scrunched up her face and shook it, then lowered the beaker with a definite slap against the table. “Marvellous,” she said, then shook her face once more.

Once the taste had ebbed away, Zelena stood up straight and shot her arms out. She let them slap down by her sides as she slowly began to sway. Her pupils dilated and her smile reminded Emma of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. Emma lowered her eyes and tapped her fingers against the table, counting under her breath.

Maleficent was next to grab the potion. She took a tentative sip. Her face scrunched up as if she’d had something sour. “That’s disgusting.” Yet she brought it back to her lips, managing another gulp.

“But effective,” Zelena said. “Any of you want some?”

Surprisingly, Regina reached over and gripped lightly onto Emma’s forearm. “No,” she said. “We do not.” The firmness in Regina’s voice was unexpected, along with the hand that remained lightly clutching onto her leather jacket.

“Bunch of cowards,” Zelena said.

When she stumbled closer with the egg smelling green liquid, Regina’s grip tightened, it was unnecessary, of course, because Emma had no intention of allowing it past her lips. “Unless you want to spend the next few days hallucinating your worst nightmares,” Regina said, turning her attention on Emma. “Then I’d suggest you listen to me.” Though when she caught Emma’s expression, her face softened, and she rubbed Emma’s arm absentmindedly. 

Zelena snorted. “You exaggerate, sister.”

“Do I?” Regina’s eyebrows raised. “You don’t recall the first time you took that thing?”

“What happened?” Emma asked.

Zelena rolled her eyes and spun, dramatically walking away and called, “Lies!” before Regina had even replied.

Regina laughed softly and when her gaze shifted to focus solely on Emma, her face was relaxed and there were these little crinkles in the corners of her eyes. “I found her down a well,” Regina said, smothering down her smirk. “Because she was hiding from the trees who were trying to kill her.”

Emma snorted, no longer surprised when Regina chuckled and lost herself within the memory. “She still has no recollection of how exactly she ended up down there,” she said. “Mother was furious because she’d missed an important dinner.”

“Mother wouldn’t have cared if I was there or not,” Zelena said.

“Of course she cared, otherwise she wouldn’t have forbidden me from riding for a week.”

Zelena frowned, blinking slowly for a moment as if the room was spinning, which, Emma surmised, it probably was. “I don’t recall that.”

“Of course you don’t. You got away with a stern talking to.”

“Well—” Zelena swayed a little then looked right at Emma. “Perhaps another time when she isn’t being such a stickler.”

“Perhaps,” Regina said, unconvinced. “If you ever want to try some, and _if _we survive, I suppose a weaker version could be brewed up for you.”

The soft expression vanished, and just like that Regina’s face went blank, and she lowered her gaze back to the page, hand slipping from Emma’s arm.

“It’s fine,” Emma muttered. “I don’t want any anyway.”

Maleficent moved to the middle of the room, arms lazily outstretched and began to slowly spin on the spot. She chuckled to herself. “We’ll be dead soon. Have some fun child.”

This time, Emma couldn’t fake a smile. The potion had worked quickly, morphing the calm and rational witch into someone unrecognisable. Uneasiness stirred in Emma’s gut. She began to count again, but it didn’t untangle the knot in her stomach.

When she glanced around the room and realised there was nowhere to go or escape them, she jumped from the stool. Regina glanced up and gave her a quizzical look. “I need some air,” she explained.

Emma pulled the door open as Regina slid from the stool, leaving Henry behind. “I hope you’re happy with yourselves,” Regina said, then followed Emma outside.

The woods were still now they’d reached the early hours of the morning, though, Emma didn’t feel tired. Perhaps it would catch up to her soon, but for now, that small nap would have to see her through. She hugged herself, tipping her chin upwards until the array of stars above allowed the world to stretch out in front of her and the claustrophobia to edge away.

“Is everything okay?” Regina asked.

Emma swallowed thickly, not wanting to explain that people under the influence could make her uncomfortable at times.

Emma felt Regina’s gaze on her. When she didn’t reply, the witch started to shuffle, would go to say something then stop herself. Emma glanced towards Regina at the same time Regina did and they both looked away, as if being caught doing something forbidden.

They stayed within the silence that wasn’t all that uncomfortable. Emma was grateful for the company, in fact, but wasn’t so sure how to express it. She was relieved when Regina asked, “When did you say your friends were going to turn up?”

“Soon, I guess.” Emma shrugged. “Ruby had a party and had to clear everyone out.”

Regina nodded. “Can we trust them?”

Emma took a moment to allow the question to sink in. “They were trying to protect me,” she said as an explanation. Regina hummed and a part of Emma wanted to explain further, but when Regina didn’t press, Emma decided it wouldn’t be necessary. “And Belle has been researching everything there is to know about the three of you.”

“That’s disturbing.”

Emma chuckled, managing to hold Regina’s gaze. “A little,” she admitted, but the way Regina raised both brows made her say, “Okay, a lot.”

“Would _you _want someone knowing everything there was to know about…” she trailed off, her relaxed posture sharpening.

“Regina,” Emma whispered, her voice hardly louder than the wind and the rustle of trees. She cleared her throat, but Regina’s eyes shone back at her, angry. “Regina—”

“No.”

“I just thought—”

“Thought what? That you could invade my privacy?”

“No, I was looking—” she swallowed when her throat constricted.

Regina turned away, took deep breaths whilst her hands shook at her sides. Emma closed her eyes and tried to remind herself she hadn’t know. Though that didn’t make Regina’s hurt any less real, so she opened her eyes and realised she would have to be truthful and open.

“I thought I could find a way to get rid of my magic.”

Regina whipped back around. “Absolutely not. It’s not something you can simply discard of on a whim. It’s in your _blood_.”

Emma’s eyes filled, causing a look of satisfaction to cross Regina’s face. For a split-second Emma considered running back through the woods, but they were dark, anyone could be lurking within them, and this time, there would be no witches around for a last minute save.

“Thought so,” she muttered. Then she dared a glance at Regina. “How did you stop hating it?”

Regina scoffed, “You’re unbelievable.”

Knowing it was true didn’t stop herself from sagging, wishing she could get a real answer. She couldn’t convince herself nothing was wrong this time, not when her magic had activated without her choosing to do so and the thought that it could happen again at any given moment scared her.

Emma looked up and smiled apologetically. “I am sorry for everything you went through. It was messed up.”

“I am aware,” Regina said, all static movements and stiff lines. Emma couldn’t get a proper read on her, the ability she’d relied on thus far failing her when she needed it the most. “Look dear—” she reached out towards Emma.

But the almost touch made her flinch despite the apologetic tone. Hurt flashed across Regina’s face, her hand lowering. It was too late to take it back, but goose bumps rose at the back of Emma’s neck when she thought too hard about all the ways her boundaries had already been crossed tonight.

Emma looked down and kicked at the ground. She had never been good with people, had such little experience with relationships in general, so she had no idea how to do this.

“Should we check on the others?” she asked quietly.

“They’ll be fine.” 

Emma nodded.

“Though I do believe they’ve already given up.”

“And you haven’t?” she asked, curiosity causing her head to whip back up.

Regina shoulders stiffened. Then she simply looked at Emma for a long moment as if contemplating something before turning her attention to the woods. “I suppose…I have been holding something back. Something that could help us.”

Regina sighed deeply, her fingers brushing just below her neck as if to grab onto a necklace that wasn’t there. Emma watched, wishing she could understand her better. The diary had given her an insight, but there was a current layer surrounding Regina that made her impossible to reach.

Her contemplating was over. It didn’t matter how much Emma had read or the little ways she would look at her, she only needed to play nice for so long. So, Regina spun, leaving Emma behind and returned inside.

Regina put all of her pent-up energy into slamming the door. The sound made both of her sisters jump. Maleficent slumped back against a wall and held up her small cradle, staring at it as if they were about to find a solution there. Zelena went back to scribbling rapidly on a piece of parchment muttering nonsensical words to herself.

“_What were you thinking?” _she hissed, pulling all her frustration into her glare. “We have less than two days to figure—” and right then she wanted to tear at her hair, remembering that she did have a plan.

“You won’t even tell us what ‘this’ is,” Maleficent said. Her head tipped sideways, and the narrowed gaze caused something to twist in her stomach. Maleficent might never forgive her. But at least they would be alive, and perhaps over time, she would learn to. 

Regina stormed over to the where they kept their ingredients and began to pull out ones that would rid her idiot sisters of these effects. It would be no use talking to them in this state, and what she needed was to give them some direction. Some hope.

The potion was half completed when Emma quietly slipped back inside. One look to the blonde made her head spin a million miles an hour. Regina worked quicker, knowing that Emma would be a lot easier to win over if she felt safe, something she was clearly not feeling with these on that tonic.

Sombrely, Emma grabbed onto a book, plonked herself down on the stairs and began to read. Then Mary Margaret peeped through the door, meowed softly, trotted to Emma’s side and sat down next to her. Emma stroked her softly, her lips curling up slightly, and for once, Regina didn’t hate Snow quite as much.

Regina hit her palm against the table to get her insolent sisters’ attention. “You were both there,” she said. “We all said the same spell!”

Zelena glanced up with accusatory eyes. “Are you bloody bonkers? We repeated some words whilst holding hands around the candle. I didn’t have a clue what they meant.”

Maleficent hummed in agreement, which sent a usual spike of annoyance through Regina. There was no way Maleficent hadn’t understood at least part of what they were doing, though she supposed in her current state she may have difficulty remembering that.

“Perhaps if you hadn’t taken this tonic—”

“I knew you were annoying,” Zelena said. “But you’ve never been this bad. Don’t act like you’ve never taken these potions.”

“I used to make ‘um for you myself,” Maleficent said then hiccupped loudly. Regina stiffened when Emma’s head shot up. She forced herself to relax by reminding herself she didn’t care what Emma thought of her. “Don’t act like you’re better than us.”

“Those were very different circumstances,” Regina said.

They _had been_ different and Maleficent knew it. It hurt Regina that she would use it against her now. Whatever she’d taken had clearly caused a reduction in braincells. She didn’t bother to rebut the other statement, there was no use when they were like this.

Instead she pulled her attention to the potion. When completed, she poured it into two separate vials, placed one on the table by Zelena and the other she handed to Maleficent. Neither of them seemed overly willing to take it, and with Emma shrivelling in on herself and looking wearily around the cabin, it left Regina with no other alternative. 

“There’s something I should have told you,” Regina said. “Something that could help us.”

“How convenient,” Maleficent drawled.

“Will you snap out of it?” Regina hissed, her voice cracking.

Maleficent glanced up, and something about Regina’s expression made her raise the vial as if in solute then down it in one. When Zelena’s remained untouched, Regina narrowed her eyes at her sister until she relented.

“Just so you know,” Zelena said, “I don’t like this version of you.” She pinched her nose and took the potion.

Regina didn’t particularly like this version of herself either. There was little to be done about it, however, except to rid herself of the darkness. Her eyes fell quickly to Emma who had been watching the scene intently, her face pale, and Regina wasn’t so sure how she would manage such a feat after all. 

The easiest and quickest way of explanation would be to show them exactly what they, or _she,_ was dealing with. They were unlikely to listen to a word she said, and she didn’t want to go on a long-winded explanation. Regina plunged a hand into her own chest, inhaled sharply then yanked her heart out.

Mary Margaret turned away. Emma gasped, mouth staying open, but then it snapped shut as she examined the object with furrowed brows. There was pity in her eyes, something Regina took note of.

Her sisters didn’t react at first, still suffering from slowed reactions and slurred movements, but soon enough, the blackened heart forced Maleficent to her feet. She shared a glance with Zelena who grabbed onto the awful potion and finished off the rest.

“What happened?” Maleficent asked.

Although, what had happened to her heart was becoming a mystery to Regina. Where there had been a single red spot earlier, now there were several, and she didn’t have the faintest idea where they were coming from. She spun it around in her hands and tried to recall the events of the evening, brushing her thumbs over the reddened splotches.

“Do you remember that night?” she asked.

“Of course we do,” Zelena said. “But I don’t remember _that._”

Maleficent paced across the room and wrapped both arms around Regina’s shoulders, tugging on her until she had little choice but to wrap her arms around her friend’s waist. Whatever resentment she had been feeling vanished. Regina lowered her cheek to Maleficent’s shoulder, holding the heart awkwardly at her back, and closed her eyes.

Maleficent squeezed her arms making Regina feel warm inside for the first time since awakening. “Why didn’t you say anything?” she asked and squeezed even tighter. Then she let go, and the warmth edged away. “What happened?”

Regina shoved the heart back inside her chest unceremoniously. With a weak smile, she held up her left palm to reveal the scar running across it. “When I offered my blood,” Regina explained. “I somehow became connected to the candle. It should have been all of us. But the mob was close. I didn’t want to waste more time.” 

“Ah, that’s what the hand holding was all about,” Zelena said.

Regina nodded. “I believe the darkness would have been spread between us all, and our sole focus would have been the death of our saviour until the link between heart and candle was broken.”

Maleficent frowned. “Connected and broken how?”

“The candle’s darkness is in my heart. It’s the price. It wants her dead and it—”

“You’re telling me a candle is sentient?” Zelena asked. “I wouldn’t believe it if it began to sing and dance.”

Regina shook her head. “No, but I am and the darkness is linked to the spell. A life for our lives is the price and because Emma lit the candle—”

“She’s the price,” Maleficent finished.

Everyone turned their heads towards Emma. Her head was visibly sweaty, and she hugged onto Mary Margaret against her chest like a shield. The cat glared at them, showing she had little intention of allowing Emma to be harmed. Which could prose a problem, one Regina would deal with later.

“I know it’s not what I want,” Regina said softly, crafting the lie easily enough, though she wasn’t so sure where her truth ended and the candle’s began. “But the candle—”

Zelena clicked her tongue. “That’s clever. But how are we—”

“I connected you both to me,” Regina said.

“I had no idea,” Maleficent whispered. “So—” her eyes widened, and she glanced to Emma, tipping her head in thought. “There really isn’t another way. Someone has to die for us to live.”

“I didn’t think so either,” Regina said, because she hadn’t, not until right then. “But my heart was completely black when we woke—”

“What’s changing it?” Zelena asked. 

“If we find that out—”

“I’m not an idiot,” Zelena said. “But can’t we use magic to extract—”

“And put it where?” Regina asked. 

“_Oh_,” Maleficent hummed. “That’s why you tried—”

“Yes.”

Emma was sitting with her brows knitted in confusion, her lips moving but not forming any words. Regina didn’t expect her to understand and didn’t feel like spelling it out only for Emma to leave them behind to die.

“Well we can’t kill her,” Zelena shrieked.

Maleficent hummed softly, toying with the cradle. “I only ever wanted my daughter back.”

“Back?” Emma asked quietly. “Didn’t you abandon her?”

Maleficent sucked in a breath. “Lilith was taken from me,” she said. “And I’ll never know what happened to her. Perhaps not having to live with that knowledge would have been better than this.”

Regina flinched. There hadn’t been much time to mull over what living would be like now everything they held dear was long gone. “That doesn’t mean we should give up,” Regina said automatically, not allowing herself even a moment to wonder if they should.

Before they could discuss this further, there was a tentative knock. All of their eyes swung towards the door then to Emma. She smiled sheepishly then went to answer. Two pairs of eyes peered over Emma’s shoulders, both filled with disbelief, but it was the one who had stolen her book who stepped inside first.

Her eyes widened at the sight of the witches and she spun on the spot. “Wow,” she said under her breath.

Regina took a few deep breaths and reminded herself they weren’t to be harmed. She stroked one hand down the Book’s cover then took note of the other girl with a red stripe in her hair.

“I know this is weird,” Emma said, glancing behind her. “For everyone.”

“No weirder than the zombie we saw on the way over,” Ruby said.

Zelena arched a brow at her sister. “I told you that was a stupid idea. When were you planning on fixing it?”

“Soon. Tomorrow. I don’t know. I’ve been a little pre-occupied.”

Emma grimaced at the pair, but they seemed to have adjusted to the idea. Or, at least, Belle had, who stepped around Emma then waved overenthusiastically. “Hi,” Belle said, smiling so wide the corners of her eyes scrunched up. “I’m…I’m glad to finally meet you. And erm, sorry about earlier, but well—” she glanced at Emma and shrugged.

The three witches glanced to each other in turn, not that Emma could blame them. She wouldn’t be surprised if Belle pulled out a pad and pen, demanding an autograph.

“We trust Emma,” Ruby said, and moved into the room tentatively. She slipped an arm around Belle’s waist which caused Regina to frown at them before looking away. “Sorry about my girlfriend—” she tugged on her gently. “We spoke about the fangirling.”

“Fan-girling?” Zelena asked. “Is that a sex act?”

“Zelena,” Maleficent hissed.

The joke made the rest of the introductions go smoothly. Even Regina was polite, if being stiff and saying welcome from across the room counted as such. Eventually they moved onto theories about ridding this darkness from Regina’s heart, and Belle was more than happy to chime in.

“I was thinking there might be more stuff at the library. There’s this restricted section that has a weird language in it and I think it’s the language in the Book and—” she was forced to take a breath, burning red at Regina’s glare.

“Hmm,” Regina hummed. “That is interesting. Are you missing any items, Zelena?”

She shook her head. “Other witches?”

“Perhaps.”

“Maybe we should head back there,” Belle suggested. “But…we can’t understand it.”

Zelena narrowed her eyes. “Is this another trap?”

Emma groaned. “You really think I’d go to all this trouble?”

It caused Zelena’s fiery gaze to land on her, but she shrugged and let go of the idea. “I suppose I wouldn’t mind accompanying my biggest fan.” When she winked at Belle her cheeks flamed, then Ruby scowled and Emma decided she didn’t want to be mixed up in that.

Regina nodded. “We can’t afford not to look. Take Maleficent with you in case it’s something you can’t read.” 

Regina began to fiddle with the items on the table, moving the various ingredients around seemingly without any purpose.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing a little more of what the town has become,” Maleficent said. “It’s fascinating.”

Regina stopped fidgeting with the objects to instead tug at her dress. “I’ll stay here.” 

Ruby looked to Emma, “Are you coming with us?”

Emma bit her lip, contemplating what would be best. Then Mary Margaret had to go and jump from her arms, paws landing on Belle’s feet until she was picked back up. “Is there any way to research my family?”

“We can try,” she said, apprehensively looking around the cabin. “Didn’t—”

“No,” Mary Margaret said. “They survived. I can tell you on the way.”

“Why don’t you stay here?” Regina asked Emma, smoothing her hands down her stomach. “There’s still so much to get through. Unless you would rather be with your friends, of course.” 

Emma shrugged, looking helplessly between them. Perhaps if she stayed, she could get answers, there was something Regina was holding back. Maybe if she were to have her alone, she would tell her, maybe she could even help her get some control over this magic. “I’ll stay,” she said with a decisive nod, ignoring the black splotches that reappeared in Regina’s eyes. 


	8. Chapter 8

The cabin was too quiet once her sisters left. It would feel lonely if it wasn’t for Emma’s mild curiosity. Several times Regina had gone to ask Emma what she had been thinking then quickly thought better of it. There was little use in getting attached.

The potion she was brewing reminded her effortlessly. It was a simple, yet effective, susceptibility potion. Once taken the effected person would comply with any request. In the wrong hands it could be deadly. They’d mainly used this potion on husbands who considered their wives property or to stop yet another woman from being hanged. However, the effects weren’t long lasting and, in most cases, would only slow down the inevitable.

After realising she couldn’t save everyone, it was something Regina had used sparingly as a witch and only in dire circumstances. Being on the verge of death now, she considered the situation appropriate. Though it wasn’t lost on her that no matter how much she’d tried to be seen as anything but a villain, she was verging on a fine line and refused to think too much about which side she fell on.

Regina had known that she wouldn’t be getting a second chance to be close to Emma when she’d flinched on the porch. She’d mulled it over in her mind, firstly feeling the rejection, then resigned herself to understanding, until remembering she needn’t to feel anything at all.

She focused instead on how she would go about getting Emma’s heart. Using the potion wouldn’t even be that farfetched. Emma had been the white knight that had come to free them. Emma would become their brave saviour willing to die for them. Regina was convinced the others would believe it, especially when faced with the reality of the flame going out.

So, she’d distanced herself from Emma, humming and nodding at the right times, whilst she put up a mental barrier between them. It was a solid plan, although, as she grabbed the final ingredient from the shelf, she caught Emma’s eyes from across the room. Emma even smiled a little as if acknowledging they were on the same side now. When Regina returned to the potion, her hands shook.

She cursed at herself and shoved the ingredient into the beaker. The liquid sizzled and a faint odour spread within the cabin. Regina watched it and told herself she was doing the right thing. That it was one life versus three.

Whilst she waited, Emma toddled over with a book open in her palms. She placed it onto the table with a thud. Regina could only bring herself to give Emma the faintest acknowledgement out of the corner of her eye.

Emma’s eyes flickered cautiously towards the black flame candle before Regina felt the weight of her gaze. “What are you making?”

“Experimenting,” Regina muttered, darting a quick glance towards the blonde. Her focus returned to the candle. It had withered, the candle wax slowly dripping down and the flame dimming down, a physical reminder of Regina’s limited time. It should consolidate her plans, but it didn’t give her the peace of mind she’d wanted.

Emma bit her lip, almost curious about what was brewing whilst afraid to get too close. Perhaps out of politeness or interest, Emma asked, “Do you need any help?”

Regina’s throat tightened. She placed the heel of her hands against the table, stretched out her fingers then slapped them down. Emma jumped, and Regina felt worse. “No,” she said, and Emma sighed gratefully.

They needed a distraction. Not only to take Emma’s mind off the intriguing almost clear liquid, but for Regina’s sake as well. Regina tugged on the book then glanced over the page. She frowned. “Annihilation? I don’t want to obliterate my existence, dear.” 

Regina wondered if she wasn’t the only one with secret plans. The misplaced guilt vanished long enough for Regina to give Emma her full attention. When Emma shrugged sheepishly, however, Regina knew that this had never been meant for her survival. “You cannot rid yourself of magic,” she said far too harshly. “It cannot be done.”

“I just thought—”

Regina slammed the book shut and shoved it away, refusing to look at Emma in the eyes. “We do not have time for this.”

Under any circumstances Regina would ever entertain thoughts of stripping magic from a witch. It was unthinkable. If even possible, it would leave them empty, the equivalent of sucking out someone’s soul.

“Exactly!” Emma said. 

Regina sucked in sharply, the meaning sinking in and settling heavily in her stomach. If things were different, she would teach Emma herself, explain to her what the outcome would be like, but they weren’t. Only one of them would survive and she wouldn’t allow herself any more time spent thinking about a witch who didn’t know what was good for her.

“Make yourself useful,” Regina said, perhaps a tad too harshly, because Emma nodded then made herself at home by Zelena’s bookshelf, not bothering her again.

It was easier this way. Better not to think that Emma was helping them whilst Regina’s potion brewed. It wasn’t as if Regina had planned it to be this way. The person to light the candle was supposed to be one of the awful villagers who’d hunted them down, not another witch. Not one of their own. And certainly not this particular young woman who was now sitting crossed legged across the room, her brow scrunched whilst her nose was buried in yet another text.

None of this had been Regina’s fault, but no matter how many times she thought about it, she couldn’t quite convince herself of her innocence. The thought if she could live with this came and went. No one had given the same consideration to her life.

With the potion finished, all that was required was for it to settle. It shouldn’t take too long. All the time Regina really needed was for her sisters to stay away until it was completed. They would know instantly and question her. They couldn’t find out. At least not until the last minute, when they were desperate enough and their self-righteousness and morality inevitably waivered.

The next hurdle would be getting Emma to drink it without anyone noticing. Or convincing Emma to drink the potion without fuss. Or simply, going through with it.

Regina spun quickly, as if the force of the action could rid herself of these thoughts. They were ridiculous. This outcome wasn’t her fault. She began to pace, the thud of her boots growing louder each time she would complete a length. 

When she spun away from the door for the twelfth time, Emma poked her nose up. “Is everything okay?” she asked, like she had any right to ask such things and make this any harder.

Regina gasped as if she’d been winded. Pausing, she placed a hand flat over her chest and focused on her breathing. It had done that multiple times now, and she didn’t care for it. “Other than the fact that I have limited time to live?”

Emma sighed and ignored the question, oddly unphased by Regina’s displays of anger. “Is it your heart?” she asked rather gently. Regina dropped her hand by her side, though there was little use denying it, so she gave a faint nod. “Why did you lie about it? To your sisters.”

“I don’t owe you an explanation,” she said, before turning to check on the potion. 

Emma shrugged and lowered her head, leaving Regina to stew in her own thoughts. Withholding the truth hadn’t been her intention, but since awakening, her focus had been on getting her hands on Emma’s heart. Perhaps if she had told them the truth from the start, they would have tried to stop her.

The desire had lowered considerably, and she didn’t know why that was, or why she had finally confessed, other than she didn’t particularly enjoy feeling out of control.

She ran the tip of her finger along the beaker, stealing glances at the young woman. If she allowed herself to entertain such thoughts, there was something about Emma’s determination that she admired. Faced with the woman who had tried to kill her hadn’t stopped Emma from finding Regina’s humanity and doing what she believed was right.

Regina closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, her finger pressed against the cold glass. It didn’t seem to matter how much she pretended otherwise, she couldn’t shake her. When she opened them again, Emma was staring right at her. “I think I’ve found something,” she said. 

“What?”

“In here. I think I’ve found something that could help.”

Regina exhaled quietly and went to the bookshelf. She slid down the wall to Emma’s mild surprise, and pushed out her legs with a smirk. She wasn’t above sitting on the ground, but it amused her to surprise Emma. She might have to do it again.

Emma cleared her throat and shuffled over, placing the heavy book down in Regina’s lap. Ruffling her dress, Regina got comfortable then read the page. She re-read it. All the while Emma fidgeted and practically vibrated waiting for a response. Regina felt the sudden urge to tease her, to tell her there was nothing here then admit Emma had been right. Regina wondered what that would look like on Emma. If she would laugh.

In truth, Regina didn’t know what to do. There was something here, but it also had the potential to fail and had a million gaps that still needed to be figured out. When she looked up at Emma, there was hope in her eyes and it made Regina feel hopeful too. 

“I believe you are on to something,” Regina said eventually.

Emma sat up straighter. “Really? Because this whole magic stuff is confusing, and scary, so for all I know I could get us all blown up or—”

Regina raised her palm and Emma pushed her lips together, tinting a light shade of pink. “Tell me what you are thinking?” she asked, handing the object back over. Emma shuffled sideways to grab it, sitting so their shoulders brushed ever so slightly and her raised knee was close to Regina’s thigh.

Emma didn’t seem to notice nor did she seem inclined to move, so Regina remained as she was, relaxing slightly. She nodded in Emma’s direction in encouragement.

“The part about containment,” Emma said. “You said the darkness needed to be put somewhere, right?”

“Right. I always thought it had to be a heart, but—”

Regina reached over and pressed the pad of her finger beneath the sentence that had caught her interest. Emma nodded excitedly. “It’s possible, that without a host, magic can be returned to the object of origin,” Emma said. “But—”

“We’d have to contain it long enough outside of ourselves for the candle to reabsorb it,” Regina finished.

“But could we?” Emma asked. “I mean, is it possible?”

“Yes,” Regina admitted. She didn’t allow herself to think about Emma’s use of ‘we’ or the way she looked on the verge of bursting. “Though, we still have no idea how to extract the darkness to begin with.”

Emma shook her head from side to side, rummaging through the mountain she had created on the floor. “I think Zelena had a book…”

Regina placed a hand on Emma’s shoulder, putting a quick stop to the searching. “I know, and I’m not letting my sister anywhere near my heart.” Emma flopped back against the wall, deflated. “And either way, as she’s connected to it, the darkness is unlikely to respond to her.”

“Oh,” she sighed. “I just thought—”

Regina sighed heavily. “I wouldn’t expect you to know,” she said. “Though, I am surprised your family didn’t teach you.”

Emma shrugged, averting her eyes. There was something strange about the action and Regina almost asked what was wrong before reminding herself she shouldn’t care. “Like your mother taught you?” Emma asked Regina, but she was still contemplating Emma’s reaction. She wondered if she’d had a parent like Regina’s, but one who had concealed the truth rather than forcing it upon her.

It was only when Emma looked at her apprehensively that Regina remembered. _She was a fool,_ _showing_ concern for the woman who had violated her privacy. She forced herself to hold Emma’s gaze where she wanted to drop it. “And what exactly did you read?” she asked, but she sounded more curious than angry.

Emma went silent for a long moment. She tugged on the edge of her jacket, playing with it before mumbling, “Most of it.” Regina felt momentarily triumphed at her shame. “Was it all true?” Emma asked and she forgot all about it.

The aches of her life remained etched into her bones, invisible to others, but she always felt the ghost of them. Regina had intended a snappish response, one that would ensure Emma knew she was not to ask again. However, what followed was a simple, “Yes.” Then she looked away, because Regina couldn’t handle pity.

Emma tapped the side of her foot against the ground. It created an annoying thud-thud-thud and Regina had to stop herself from placing a hand on Emma’s knee to stop it. “Regina?” she asked, and they glanced to each other then quickly away like on the porch. Emma’s mouth opened and stayed that way. Regina let out a frustrated sigh.

“Did you kill your husband?” she asked in a rush.

Regina froze, because that hadn’t been written in the pages of the Book. Perhaps within her thoughts and ramblings, if one could read between the lines. Emma was intuitive. This time, when Regina turned to face her and watched her with the same curiosity she’d had all evening, Emma ducked her head and blushed.

It didn’t stop Regina from regarding her, and for a moment, she allowed herself to consider a possibility where this other plan could work. Would she teach Emma magic? Show Emma that her abilities shouldn’t be feared? For an instant, she imagined what it would be like to have someone like Emma around to help her adjust into this new world.

Emma clearly did not understand her thoughts, because she cleared her throat and said, “I’m not judging you. I think you did the right thing, considering everything.”

_Everything. _It slowly blossomed inside Regina’s mind and sprouted a new life. If left to fester she would react. She might hurt Emma, but she _couldn’t, _not—not now. Regina scoffed and Emma shuffled away, not knowing the sound hadn’t been meant for her. 

Regina stood shaking, little electric jolts of magic sparking at her fingertips. There was a faint whispered _sorry. _Regina looked down, towering over Emma and gave her a blank stare. Emma shrunk back.

_Good. _

Regina didn’t need her. She didn’t need her approval. She pushed it through her stare, but Emma held it. There was so much determination that it made Regina falter. The magic fizzled. “I did what I had to do,” Regina said.

She paced to the other side of the cabin, stopping beside Henry’s case. Regina wanted to wrap her arms around it and never let it out of her sight again. Or perhaps burn it, that would do too.

The thought had occurred to her more than once. Before her death she had been close, then convinced herself it would have been a waste of time. She couldn’t bring herself to part with the letters contained inside. They were the only connection she had left to the woman she’d loved.

“He deserved it,” Emma said.

Regina clasped her hands around the case, her fingers white and the glass beneath them close to cracking. Her eyes filled uselessly, her voice lowering to dangerous territory when she hissed, “You had no right.”

“I didn’t—I didn’t know.” There was an edge to Emma’s voice like desperation. It sharpened when she said, “But if I hadn’t read the Book, you would still be trapped.”

“I wouldn’t have been trapped if you and your idiot friends hadn’t lured me in with that very Book.” Regina spun, ignoring the sting in her eyes. She had the moral high ground here, or at least she thought she did, until—

“You. Tried. To. Kill. Me!” Emma’s eyes startled and she glanced around the cabin as if realising they were alone for the first time. She shook her head and focused on Regina with that determined look on her face. “I had every right to protect myself.”

“I had every right to try and preserve my life.” Regina stalked forwards, lowering her voice to almost a whisper, “And if you read as much as I think you have, then you know I didn’t deserve to die.”

“And I do? Why should I have to die to save you?”

Regina jolted in place, her shaking fingers gripping unsuccessfully onto her dress. “It isn’t _my _fault you were idiotic enough to light the candle. Did you not take a moment to think there would be consequences?”

“Do you even hear yourself? I’m not someone’s sacrificial lamb to be slaughtered.”

Regina blinked. Ignoring Emma, she yanked on the door and stepped outside. Footsteps followed only seconds after, the door opening again then shutting loudly.

“Regina,” Emma whispered, but she tuned it out.

The woods and their cabin hadn’t altered all that much, but everything else certainly had. Regina hugged herself as memories resurfaced, goose bumps rising along her skin. She shivered.

“Regina. I am sorry,” Emma said, standing by her side.

It was the dead of night. The woods were still, the moon high and casting them in low lighting. Regina waved her hand over the cone stuck beside the door. A small fire flickered up, heating and giving them light. Emma gasped, but Regina didn’t have it in her to find it entertaining. 

She glanced at Emma who remained by her side, picking nervously at her nails. “All I ever wanted was to be reunited with her,” Regina said and took a deep, calming breath. The last time her Book had been read she’d been sentenced to die. Now that Emma read it, she believed she should be saved.

Emma smiled shyly, rocking back on her heels. “I guess you didn’t think this would be how everything would turn out?”

Regina shook her head. “I had hoped that it would be a handful of months until someone lit the candle. A few years at most.”

Emma clambered down the small porch and plonked herself down. “You were planning to go back for her?” she asked, and Regina nodded tightly before slowly sitting herself down. “I didn’t mean to invade your privacy.”

Regina smiled weakly. “I hoped we could escape, but after my husband discovered our letters any freedom I’d had was taken away.” She wrung her fingers together as Emma’s hand landed on her arm. Emma’s eyes widened and she quickly pulled back.

“None of that should have happened to you,” she said, shoving her hands beneath her legs. Something inside Regina froze. She didn’t want to talk about what should or should not have happened, she’d lived through it, the worst moments sharp in her mind. “And now, you don’t have to hide who you are.”

Regina frowned, shaking her head lightly. “I do not believe I understand.”

“Oh…like, people who are attracted to the same sex,” she said. “Some people, well, not everyone is accepting yet, but we can get married now, too.” Emma smiled proudly and Regina felt that annoying flutter in her chest.

“We?” Regina asked with trepidation. “And Ruby and Belle?”

“Yeah. I’m a lesbian.” Emma nudged Regina’s shoulder. “Ruby and Belle are girlfriends. I think Ruby’s bi.” 

“Is that English?”

Emma grinned. “I only like women. Bisexual is someone who likes men and women.”

Regina’s brow furrowed, and she rocked where she sat. “Like Mal?” she thought out loud. Emma’s face flushed. “The Book.” Regina sighed, understanding why Maleficent had been angry that she’d included them within the pages.

Emma bit her lip, and half nodded her head. “You erm…had a fling, sort of?”

“A what?”

“You slept together?” she amended, but the confusion washed again over Regina’s face. Emma cleared her throat. “Had sex,” she muttered, avoiding eye contact.

Regina’s mouth hung open in an ‘o’ shape before it slammed shut. It wasn’t something that was ever talked about. It was something husbands did to their wives or as she had learned, women experienced together. Things must be different now.

Eventually she nodded. “A few times,” she said slowly, something crawling up her spine at the confession. She had been hung for less. “I don’t think we were in love. But when I discovered she felt the same as I, it was a relief to have someone to share it with. She was safe.”

Regina paused then added, “Then she went and fell for this hideous man.”

“Aren’t all men hideous?” Emma asked on a chuckle.

Regina smothered down her smirk and winked. Emma’s smile was bright whilst they shared this moment. It was nice. It was nice to be understood.

“He did treat her well. But I felt betrayed,” she admitted, something she hadn’t even allowed herself to write down. They were no longer together once Maleficent had fallen for someone else, but it was as if she’d been alone with her secret all over again. “I didn’t understand. Perhaps it was unfair of me.”

“I think whatever you felt was understandable,” Emma said. “I mean, it’s still hard now—” she bit her lip and diverted course. “But you stayed friends?”

“Eventually.” Maleficent had been the one person to understand her, and they were good for each other. She cared about her deeply, and Regina believed she always would. “When she had her daughter.”

Regina smiled softly at the memory. She’d been unsuccessful in conceiving, gratefully so, but when Lilith had been born she understood the love one could hold for a child. On occasion she would envision what it would have been like to raise a child with Daniella, in a little cottage within the woods.

“Why was she taken?” Emma asked.

Regina’s smile faded, replaced with guilt she tried to swallow down. “After the letters, Henry was found. They believed Maleficent’s ‘perversion’ would damage her child.” Regina bowed her head. “After that, Mal had little choice but to flee with us.”

Like the cruel person he had been, Regina’s husband had brought her to Maleficent, had stood by whilst the screaming child was taken from her mother’s arms. She’d never witnessed Maleficent sob until then.

Emma didn’t say anything. Regina didn’t need to add that it had been all her fault. “She still doesn’t hate me,” Regina whispered, never quite figuring out why that was, other than it was simply Mal being herself.

“Neither of you did anything wrong,” Emma said. “You weren’t the one to take her child away.”

Regina shrugged half heatedly, because she had tried to convince herself of that, but if she hadn’t written about their time together then none of that would have happened. “It doesn’t seem that way. The only other person who knew about me, it didn’t end well for him either.” 

Emma’s eyes widened. “You killed him?”

Emma’s head was tipped in thought, less accusatory and more understanding. But it didn’t stop the sharp pain from lodging itself in her stomach. By now Emma should understand the accusations piled up against her were all false.

“I didn’t kill him,” she said dryly. “If you hadn’t run from him at the graveyard then you might have learnt that.”

With the last moments of her life fresh in her mind, it felt as if rocks had been planted in her stomach. They had accused her of things she hadn’t committed, and she felt a fool for trusting Emma. Before she received a response, Regina went back inside and slammed the door unnecessarily loud. Regina was facing away from the door when it opened and slammed almost as hard.

“What’s your problem?” Emma asked.

“My problem?” Regina laughed incredulously and forgot all about restraint. Her hand clenched then loosened. She spun then stalked forwards. “You just accused me of killing a man.”

“Duh—” Emma gestured to herself. “You’re ridiculous for being mad about that.” 

“I’m ridiculous? You’re the one who wandered into an abandoned cabin and brought three witches back from the dead without a thought to what would happen next!”

Emma stomped her foot. “I didn’t know any of this was real.”

Regina chuckled evilly. “You didn’t?” Somewhere deep down that amused her. When Emma crossed her arms and huffed, she laughed harder. “Are you being serious?”

When Emma pouted, Regina knew that she really hadn’t known. She forgot all about being angry in favour of laughing at the absurdity of it all. Eventually, Emma grinned back, her expression soft and something about it made Regina relax. And she surmised that perhaps it wasn’t unreasonable for Emma to reach that conclusion.

“How about you tell me what really happened?” Emma asked.

Regina nodded slowly and came back to herself and the situation. No one had asked her that before. She weighed her options. Part of her wanted to tune Emma out, give her the potion and be done with it. The other part wanted her to understand. To show Emma that she wasn’t the monster she believed Regina to be.

“About?” she asked.

She went to check on the potion. It had settled and it was ready. Regina stared at it.

“That man, Graham.” Emma said. “What happened to him?”

Regina nodded then lifted the empty vial. Graham had been another tragedy that had been her fault. She could tell Emma—tell Emma then it wouldn’t matter when she was gone. In one quick motion, she grabbed the beaker, poured the liquid into a vial and popped a stopper into the top.

Regina spun, her back against the table and the vial clutched in her palm. She slipped it into her pocket. It felt heavier than it should, like the rocks they would place in women’s pockets before they were drowned. Regina smiled tightly at Emma and willed herself to forget all about it.

Emma sat on the stairs with her left wrist facing upwards, tracing over it with the tip of her finger. Regina had noticed her doing that more than once, but the last thing she needed was for Emma to think she was avoiding answering if she were to change the topic.

She yanked out a stool and propped down on it. “He caught me and Maleficent kissing,” she said before thinking better of it. “He promised not to say a word, and I was pleasantly surprised by his reaction.” Regina paused and remembered him fondly, the way he seemed a little shocked but not revolted. “But he insisted that I should tell my mother. He thought she would give up her pursuit of finding me a husband.”

“I’m guessing she wasn’t the accepting type?”

Regina shook her head. “No. Mother stitched his mouth shut for daring to repeat it. She brought him to me like that and killed him.” Regina rocked on the chair thinking of the punishment she had endured afterwards, pressing the tip of her tongue against the scar on her lip. “All I wanted was for him to get to the Book. You must understand why.”

Emma nodded tightly, “Yeah.” A whimsical look crossed Emma’s face before she asked, “You fell in love?” Regina smiled despite herself, because although painful, the memories were almost happy, covered in a rare ray of sunshine. “Tell me about her.”

Regina’s throat closed again, but a strong part of her wanted to write her name across her skin and make sure she was never forgotten. “Daniella was…freedom.” The butterflies curdling in Regina’s stomach were welcome, if not torturous. “I loved her laugh more than anything in the world. I loved her. Once my husband found the letters, she fled.”

“I’m sorry.”

Regina’s eyes stung. “Don’t be. I told her to run if we were ever discovered. I only wish I knew what happened to her.” She could understand Maleficent’s pain in that regard. The not knowing was the worst part of all.

Emma frowned, lost in thought and Regina was less restrained than earlier, so close to asking Emma what she was thinking. But Emma pulled out a strange brick looking device before she could. Her thumbs tapped away on it then it was shoved back inside her jacket pocket. “I was just texting Ruby something,” she said, biting her lip.

Regina didn’t have the faintest idea what she was referring to, and this time, it didn’t seem that Emma was about to explain. It made her a little weary, aware that she was the only one of them sharing secrets.

“Why hasn’t your family told you about their magic?” Regina asked, watching Emma’s eyes widen like saucers. They settled, and Regina could tell this was a painful topic. “Are they unaware?” she pressed. 

“I was a foster kid,” Emma said. “My parents didn’t want me. They abandoned me when I was a baby, so I grew up with different people, in different homes and places. I don’t have a family.”

_“Oh.” _

Emma looked away sharply, and although Regina should be thrilled – Emma could disappear without a trace – the way her arms slowly wrapped around her stomach and her throat bobbed made Regina ache. Losing her father had been one of the hardest things Regina had had to go through, she couldn’t imagine having no family at all. No matter what her mother had put her through, there remained a strong undercurrent of love Regina held for her.

“What was that like?” Regina asked.

“Lonely.” Emma bowed her head, brushed her thumb along the birthmark and sighed. “This is why I wanted to try—” her next breath was shaky. “I don’t want it to be this way.”

“What way?”

It took a moment for Regina to understand when Emma didn’t respond. “There’s nothing wrong with being a witch,” she said, and for some stupid reason, when Emma lifted her shaking hands, spinning them slowly as if something was about to burst out of them, Regina moved across the cabin and lowered herself to the bottom step.

Emma looked at her with pain in her eyes, one that was locked so deeply inside it was too much to access. Regina was familiar with the feeling. She did something idiotic and took Emma’s hands into her own, her fingers pressing against Regina’s palms. “It’s what you do with magic that counts.”

“But I still have it. I don’t need anything else that makes me different,” she said, the desperation evident in her voice. 

“It makes you special, Emma.”

Emma shook her head. It made something hot burn across Regina’s chest. She thought about her childhood. Back to when the thought of magic terrified her and if she could have, she would have rid herself of it too. Regina almost told her that. But she couldn’t allow herself to get any closer. No, this was just, her way of giving Emma peace before, well, because they needed her help.

Regina sighed and pulled her hands back. A sharp pain shot across her chest. She stood, winded and her vision blurred. Without thinking she yanked out her heart. The pain etched away, her vision and breathing returning to normal. Regina took a deep breath and cupped her heart. The redness had increased.

“It makes me an outsider,” Emma muttered under her breath.

Regina simultaneously felt the sympathy and watched as a tiny speckle of darkness disappeared. It didn’t make any sense. She knew if she had Emma’s heart the darkness would automatically move from hers to Emma’s, so when the candle went out, it would take Emma instead. This wasn’t that.

Regina shoved the heart back where it belonged before Emma noticed. Then she spun and watched Emma’s sullen expression lift to meet hers. Emma didn’t deserve this.

Regina laughed cruelly, mainly at herself. “Why are you here?” she asked. “Why are you helping us? You should—you should go.”

Emma startled. Regina could hardly blame her. She ran a palm down her face and pushed a hand into her pocket. With the vial gripped in her hand she equally wanted to force it past Emma’s lips and smash it on the floor.

“Because helping you is the right thing to do,” Emma said. She clambered down the stairs and glanced at Regina’s hand tucked away in her pocket. “And what _is _that?”

Regina slipped her fingers from around the vial and sighed. “Nothing,” she said. “I thought it could help, but I’m not so sure anymore.”

Emma didn’t seem convinced, not that she could blame her. They needed yet another distraction from this potion. “Look,” she said. “Think of magic as something that’s neutral. Neither good nor bad.”

“I don’t want to.”

It was astonishing to Regina how Emma was so determined to help these witches, but had no inclination to help herself. “It activated to _protect you_,” she said, hoping Emma could see the good in it. “It was most likely responding to—”

It dawned on her; why her stupid heart had responded to Emma. Or more so, why Emma could make the darkness within it disappear. Regina couldn’t quite believe it_, _but it was the only explanation she could think of.

“What is it?” Emma asked.

They really could find another way. Regina breathed out in relief then looked Emma in the eyes, knowing she wouldn’t like this at all. “I need your magic,” Regina said, and Emma was already on the verge of protesting. Not that Regina cared, because she had just realized – how had she not seen it before? – There was one obvious way to defeat the darkness. The most powerful magic of all.


	9. Chapter 9

A dozen autumn leaves of varying shades of oranges and yellows floated into the air as if a gust of wind had swept under them. Emma focused on them, squinting against the rising sun, her fingers moving in mid-air. Magic wasn’t as scary as she had been anticipating, and it helped that Regina had been giving her plenty of encouragement along the way.

From across the clearing Regina smiled. “Stretch your fingers out all at once,” she instructed. The smile made Emma feel a little better, surer that this was the right choice. So, Emma did as she was told. The leaves shot in all directions, paused, then drifted to the ground. “Good.”

The praise helped too. Whenever Regina would say that little word, it was firm, and it wasn’t to be second-guessed. When Regina said it, she meant it. The way Regina abolished all doubt went a long way, especially because Emma had spent a lifetime second-guessing and manoeuvring her way around the line between what people said they meant and what they actually meant.

Emma smiled back. Her hands falling to her hips, as she gulped in air, a bead of sweat rolling down her back. Magic was more tiring than she’d anticipated too. “There’s so much to this,” Emma said. “I had no idea.”

“What did you expect?” Regina asked, her voice high-pitched and comical. “You wave your hands around and bam! Magic?”

Emma shrugged, because yes, that’s exactly what she had expected. The casual expression made Regina shake her head in disbelief. Emma chuckled at the look on her face. It was nice how things seemed easier between them now, how things had settled down so quickly.

“It feels more like a lesson at college,” Emma said, because they’d spent an hour on theory alone before leaving the cabin, and she’d gotten bored of the theory five minutes in. Just like at college.

“This _is_ a lesson.” Regina frowned and walked over to where Emma stood. “Magic. Lesson.” She flickered Emma between the eyes for emphasis. It stung where she’d hit, but Emma was having too much fun to complain. 

“Hey!” Emma shoved the invading hand away with a soft giggle. “I have a brain.”

“I’m sure you do,” Regina said. “I’m sure it’s simply been rotted away with the atrocity of food you call breakfast.”

Emma pressed her lips together. “You enjoyed it!” Perhaps a McDonald’s breakfast was not exactly a nutritious choice, but when Ruby and Belle had appeared with the brown paper bag and cups of coffee, Emma hadn’t been about to demand eggs and fruit instead. “My brain hasn’t rotted.”

“Then you never had one to begin with.”

Emma rolled her eyes as Regina paced past her, lightly bumping their shoulders. Emma spun on a laugh, tracking Regina’s movement to where she stopped in the middle of the open woods. There was a glisten in her eyes, one that was playful rather than predatory.

“Now—” 

Regina curled her hands. Water droplets slowly lifted upwards until there must have been hundreds hanging around them. They glistened like diamonds. Some droplets reflected light to create small rainbows over tree trunks and plants. Emma was mesmerized. The droplets hung around Regina making her shine, like a Goddess almost.

_Perhaps not all magic was bad _a little voice whispered. And it couldn’t be, not when it washed the worry from Regina’s face and made her look so beautiful.

Regina flipped her wrists. The wind picked up, blowing Emma’s hair in all directions and tickled the back of her neck. Regina’s dress twisted around her legs. She moved her hands closer together until the water droplets collided with the air. It rippled, shaping into a ball that hung as if on strings.

“Lift your palms so they’re facing me,” Regina said. Emma did as instructed. “I want you to curl your fingers as if gently playing a musical instrument.”

Emma took a breath of the crisp air then shuffled her feet out as if to brace herself. Regina chuckled, “It’s only magic, dear. It won’t hurt you.”

Emma glared and squatted a little further. “Well it makes me feel better,” she said, then added beneath her breath, “You’ve got this, Swan.”

“Do you often refer to yourself in the third person?” Regina asked.

“Shut it,” Emma mumbled, feigning offence.

“I don’t think I will,” she said smugly. 

Emma rolled her eyes. Regina had been like this all morning, teasing her whenever the opportunity presented itself, and Emma loved every moment.

“Considering you’re ready,” Regina said and winked. Emma had to bite her lip to prevent the smirk. “Imagine pieces of string are flying from the tips of your fingers. Then envision the ends are little magnets, and my magic is attracted to them. I want you to pull it apart, piece by piece.”

_Like the darkness from my heart_, Regina didn’t add. She didn’t have to. The playfulness faded when faced with reality. Emma nodded and took a deep breath, and as Regina had already taught her, she held the breath in her lungs whilst finding the source of her magic. It had taken some time and effort for Emma to figure this out, but once she found it, accessing the magic had become surprisingly easy.

The instant Emma tapped into her innate source, her eyes popped open, a surge of energy racing through her veins. Regina had emphasised how the magic had its limits and would take both effort and time to harness and direct, but this power felt anything but limited. Emma felt invincible.

On the exhale she let it flow through her body, expelling from her fingertips. Emma pushed it outwards and moved her fingers as instructed. Sparks flew towards Regina’s magic bubble.

“Good,” Regina said.

And Emma lit up inside. It was hard to be unaffected by Regina’s praise when all she wanted was to impress her. She used the praise to focus, clearing her mind and placing her concentration on the magic ball. She imagined that it was Regina’s heart.

A spark pressed up against the bubble and caused a few ripples. It faded straight away. Emma gritted her teeth and tried again.

“Imagine you are roping it in,” Regina said. “Try for the air before the water. It will be lighter and easier to manipulate.”

Emma’s face scrunched, her head feeling airy. Her stomach and thighs tensed, arms trembling where they were raised out in front of her. The magic wouldn’t budge. She concentrated harder, reminding herself that Regina would be gone if she couldn’t manage this, but nothing happened. Her arms dropped by her sides, chest heaving as she panted for breath.

“I’m sorry,” she said, defeated. 

Her head bowed, the magic retreating and almost going dormant. The invincibility feeling went away with it. In the wake of it she felt like crap, and could just imagine the disappointed look on Regina’s face.

Regina made a gesture. The bubble remained in the air after she’d lowered her arms and walked across the woods. “It was your first attempt,” Regina said. “What did we talk about?”

“That I won’t do everything straight away.” Emma peaked her head up, smiling wearily, but it wasn’t disappointment she was greeted with. Regina cupped Emma’s hands, and it was so gentle even when she didn’t deserve it.

“You _can _do this, Emma,” she said. “You are more powerful than you know.”

Before the magic lessons had moved from theory to practice, the three witches had debated just how powerful Emma truly was. Zelena had claimed Emma had gotten lucky in overpowering them, that it had been a combination of imminent danger and adrenaline. Regina had muttered something about jealously, so Zelena had stomped off and began working on a containment spell.

Maleficent had been quiet, contemplating everything Emma had described and experienced so far. Her and Regina had shared a handful of looks then dismissed whatever they had been thinking. In the end, Regina had said Maleficent didn’t have the stomach to push Emma the way they needed to. So it had been decided, Regina would be the one to discover and forge Emma’s talents.

Emma thought that would have meant tough love, perhaps some shouting and pushing Emma to her limits. What she hadn’t expected was the tenderness. Warm hands wrapped around her cold ones.

“How so?” Emma asked.

“_Powerful,” _she purred.

Regina placed a finger beneath Emma’s chin and pushed it up as if imitating the confidence Emma should feel. Emma was forced to maintain eye contact whilst the tip of Regina’s finger pressed against her skin, her nail scratching lightly. The little black spots that had been on her eyes were nowhere in sight, and Emma couldn’t deny she was grateful they had disappeared. Regina was less unnerving this way, and her eyes ... well, they were rather beautiful.

Regina moved behind her, then grabbed Emma’s shoulders to keep her rooted. Emma’s arms stuck to her sides, her toes wiggling in her shoes. “I’ll help you,” Regina whispered, her hot breath on the back of Emma’s neck. Emma shivered and wondered if that had been intentional.

Her hands moved slowly down Emma’s arm, stopping at her wrists. Regina lifted them, directing her hands towards the ball. “Breathe in,” Regina instructed, and when Emma did, she forgot all about Regina’s warm body behind her due to the magic surging through her blood. She jolted slightly.

“Did you feel that?” Regina asked.

Emma had felt a lot of things. Her heart that pounded relentlessly. Regina’s hands wrapped around her own. The magic that made her tingle all over. She nodded in response, afraid her voice would squeak if she were to use it.

“Why did you return for us?” Regina asked out of nowhere.

Emma twisted her upper body, not having expected the question, but Regina manoeuvred her gently until she was facing forwards again. “I already told you,” Emma said. Regina had her trapped, but she didn’t bother to fight against it again. 

“You didn’t.”

“I did,” Emma defended. 

“Henry?”

Regina’s thumbs brushed absentmindedly against the side of Emma’s arms and it felt so nice that Emma had to suppress her shiver. The magic within her blood surged faster whilst she racked around her mind for a reason. Except her brain had gone inconveniently blank.

“What did you read that made you come back for us?” Regina asked, her soft hair brushing Emma’s neck. “For me?”

Sparks flew from Emma’s fingertips, reaching its target. Emma’s eyes widened. “I… erm… I don’t think there was a specific part?” She swallowed thickly, watching as another surge of magic flew outwards, making a small dent in the ball.

“The reason doesn’t matter, so much as the feeling,” Regina said, the evidence apparent. “Remember that feeling and use it to harness your magic. We don’t have enough time to teach you another way. Not without knowing the origins of your magic.”

Emma’s throat was dry, so she managed a faint nod. “I can do that,” she said eventually, exhaling quietly. 

She didn’t want Regina to move away. Her eyes squeezed tightly as if she could will it into existence. No one had ever quite believed in Emma the way Regina appeared to, and it made her feel unique, maybe even special. Wanted. But of course, Regina’s hands slipped from hers. Emma’s arms flopped to her sides and she successfully turned around.

Regina squeezed her upper arm causing a giddiness to spread through her chest. The softness in Regina’s eyes caught her off guard, sending her stomach flip-flopping.

“Why did you need to do that?” Emma asked shyly.

Emma wasn’t complaining but being this close to Regina caused her mind to battle in conflicting emotions. There was a part of her that wanted to dive for cover. The other wanted to be the complete focus of Regina’s attention.

“I didn’t,” Regina said, this slow victorious smirk parting her lips. “I wanted to see how you reacted.”

The expression made Emma’s knees wobble. “That’s—” Emma flung her arm out, a burst of magic sparking into the air and landing on a pile of leaves. They went up in flames. Regina looked impressed at the display and Emma realised that she liked that look on her.

“Emotions have a way of accessing depths within us,” Regina said, a wistful look crossing her face. Emma wondered for a moment what she was thinking about. She wanted to know everything, but Emma already knew more than she should, so she kept her mouth shut.

Then Regina focused on her again, her face soft but her eyes hardened. “After my father died, I lost all sense of control over my magic. Mother was furious. I created havoc, and once I even burnt down all of her clothes in a fit of rage.”

“I’m sorry,” Emma said, unused to dealing with these situations. She might have a lot of screwed up memories and emotions, but she was far from experienced at handling the emotions that belonged to others. “When did he die?”

“When I was 16,” she said matter of fact. “It was shortly after his death that my mother did one decent thing for me. She bought me that book so I would have a place to vent. So, I named it after him.”

“Your father’s name was Henry?” Emma asked, a slight gasp to her words. The name of the book made sense, but now Emma felt even worse for having read it. “Regina, I’m—”

“Let’s get back to work,” she said. Regina lifted her palms and threw water over the fire. “How about we make this more interesting?”

“I’m not going to survive,” Emma muttered under her breath, wondering what the witch might find _interesting_. Regina chuckled that sultry chuckle of hers and rolled her eyes.

“Don’t be so melodramatic,” she said, but Emma didn’t have the heart to tell her it was a simple expression. “I’ll give you a time limit and if you can pick the air from the water before it’s up, you can get something you want. Anything you want.”

“Something like what?” Emma asked.

“What would you like?” 

Emma bit her lip, because even now she wasn’t sure what Regina was capable of. She was even less sure that there was something she wanted. Not beyond—she shook her head, hesitating for long enough that Regina smiled softly.

“Tell me something you want. There must be something.” Emma shrugged again, not exactly used to anyone giving a damn about that. Regina must have sensed her hesitation, because she moved across the clearing and took Emma’s hand into her own. “What is your price, darling?”

The word rolled off her tongue and curled around Emma’s gut. Regina’s hand squeezed her own in reassurance before letting go. Emma didn’t know how to respond. In fact, she felt lost, because she had never gained the ability to ask for the things she needed. It was a flaw she was well aware of, but no one had ever cared enough for her to learn how.

She hadn’t wanted Regina to let go. That’s what she wanted. Emma wasn’t sure if she could ask for that exactly, but she was sure Regina wouldn’t mock her for it. “A hug,” she said, lowering her eyes. She felt pathetic even asking, but it had been so long since she’d last felt safer enough with someone to ask.

“Okay,” Regina said carefully.

Emma slowly peaked an eye up, but where she expected more teasing, Regina was looking at her curiously. It seemed as if Regina was about to give in to the request there and then, and Emma didn’t know how to feel about that other than to silently hope.

Instead of a hug, Regina’s hand found her arm. “You have an hour,” she said softly. “If you can do it in half that time, I’ll make it good.”

Emma nodded, disappointed that Regina was about to leave her to her own devices. Usually, being the centre of attention was the thing of nightmares, but it felt the opposite with Regina, and she didn’t know how to process that. Other than to nod and allow Regina to return to the cabin without protest, and once she left, she shook both arms then ready herself for business.

* * *

Thick grey clouds stood over them as they walked down the various streets, light fog lowering their visibility. One tree had toilet paper wrapped around it, wrappers were on the ground and a skeleton mask had been left to be trampled on. Regina crinkled her nose and took a wide birth around the stationary metal object Emma called a car. She chuckled at Regina’s wide eyes and took out her phone, tapping on the screen.

A few families with young children were scattered around, but the streets were mostly empty. Across the road from the graveyard were a row of what Emma had called ‘shops’ where people could exchange metal or paper objects for other goods. Emma had gasped when Regina had ripped her five-dollar bill. Regina didn’t understand why it held any value. It was _paper. _But Emma’s eyes had widened sadly whilst she shrugged and pretended it didn’t matter, so Regina waved her hand and fixed the note.

A small child wrapped up in a padded pink coat and scarf exited one of the buildings, a small pastry on a napkin in her hands. She took a bite then smiled up at the women who placed a hand on her back.

“Want to go inside?” Emma asked.

“Perhaps another time,” she said, eyeing the buildings sceptically. Emma bit her lip and looked to her phone, hovering her finger over it, then shrugged and spun it so Regina could see the screen.

“The cars transform,” Emma said. “They turn into giant robots and one wrong step and you’re crushed like a bug.”

Regina gasped and side stepped away from them, pushing herself up against the railing at the grave yard. Her hands curled around the green rails as she witnessed the cars on the screen transform like Emma had claimed. Regina’s grip tightened. But when Emma laughed, clearly not as afraid as she should be, Regina narrowed her eyes.

“It’s from a movie. See this here—” she pointed to the phone. “It’s not real. Sort of like magic makes it look like it is.”

“I am not amused,” Regina said, but Emma only laughed harder. She had the good sense to give Emma a clout around the head for the torture she was putting Regina through. “What’s a movie?”

“Oh, right.” Emma leaned against the railings with her shoulder an inch away from touching Regina’s, smiling softly. Regina liked it when she did that. “It’s like a story that they tell in pictures. But they move and it’s like looking at real life.”

“That sounds ridiculous,” Regina retorted, if only to regain the upper hand. In truth, it sounded fascinating. But she hated feeling so out of her depth in this terrifying town. 

“They’re amazing!” Emma said. “Maybe I could take you to see one after this is all over?” Emma cringed. Regina just nodded slowly, not sure what to make of it.

Well, Regina could get her revenge, that’s what she could do. “Why a hug?” she asked, because Emma had looked uncomfortable when asking, and as predicted, Emma swallowed and looked straight ahead.

“It’s been a while,” she whispered.

Regina watched her for a moment, the stiffness of her body and the inability to make eye contact. Emma had managed to pick apart the magic ball easily once challenged, and then Regina had made another with small speckles of earth added to it. Emma struggled, but the instant she had pulled one tiny bit of dirt from the mix, she’d run inside the cabin, beaming.

It was adorable the way she glowed when she’d achieved something. It made Regina’s chest stir with pride. But before making good on her promise, Ruby had called Emma and informed her of the zombie that was stumbling around the town. They’d decided to deal with Graham immediately and had paired off in search of him.

Regina tapped Emma’s shoulder. “Come here,” she said, then offered a gentle smile of her own.

Emma scurried her feet forwards then stopped, twiddling her thumbs in front of her middle. Regina had predicted the hesitancy. She took the step closer, wrapping an arm around Emma’s waist, her other hand going to the back of Emma’s head, fingers tangling in her blonde curls. Regina tugged on her gently.

Emma remained stiff and it knocked the wind from Regina’s lungs. She fought the urge to uncurl them, waiting for Emma to decide. Soon Emma’s body relaxed into the hold. Her face pressed into her neck, fingers gripping onto the back of Regina’s dress and one shaky breath later had Regina squeeze until she was pulling Emma onto her tip-toes. “I’ve got you,” she whispered, and Emma shuddered.

“You’re different,” Emma muttered, sighing contentedly at the palm that rubbed up and down her back and the fingers scratching her scalp. When Regina didn’t stop, Emma’s body moulded and fit snuggly into hers.

“How so?” Regina asked, her voice squeakier than usual. 

“Less murdery,” Emma muttered, smirking into Regina’s neck.

Regina gave a faint chuckle, but her actions from the previous day had already took route and caused guilt to settle into her stomach. In the light of day, she couldn’t believe she had been willing to go through with such plans. But she couldn’t quite bring herself to apologise – at least for the part Emma was aware of. The hug was a start though.

Her eyes caught Maleficent’s who wandered down the street absent of any outward fear of the terrifying objects. The twitch in her eye, however, informed Regina that she was having just as much trouble as she’d had. Her eyes met Ruby’s and the young woman frowned. Mary Margaret trotted beside them.

“They’re back,” Regina whispered, pulled away and gave Emma’s arms a quick rub. 

Emma turned pink and muttered, “Thanks.”

Regina gave Emma her full attention, just long enough for Emma to lean against the railings then glance up. Their eyes held and that stirring began again in Regina’s stomach. Maleficent cleared her throat causing Regina’s head to whip around. 

“Where are the others?” Regina asked, ignoring Maleficent’s arched brow. 

“Wondering what in the world we’re interrupting,” Zelena said from behind them.

Regina groaned, but all thoughts of explaining herself vanished. Beside Zelena was Belle, a few paces behind them was a zombie struggling to get control of his movements. “Graham,” she said, sighing deeply.

Regina took a knife from her pocket and offered it to him. His movements were sluggish, but on a grunt he wrapped his greyed fingers around the end then brought it to his mouth. He ran the sharp edge along his lips, breaking the stiches. Emma flinched, picking up Mary Margaret who snuggled into her arms.

“This is not how I expected Halloween to go,” Emma muttered.

Ruby came to stand beside her and grinned. “You’re the one getting into bed with a witch,” she said smugly. Emma groaned.

Graham sucked in oxygen like a wheezing toy. He coughed, spluttering out the stiches then tried again. Regina placed a hand on his arm. “Give it a minute,” she said. She wasn’t keen on remembering her own resurrection or how out of control she had felt. “You’ll feel better soon.”

Once he could shake his arms out, breathe normally, and had done a couple of squats, Regina clipped him on the back of the head. “What do you go and tell mother for?!” He ducked out of the way, rubbing the offended area.

“Wench,” he said, voice a little hoarse, then grinned. His teeth were yellowed and rotted, lips a pale grey, but Regina couldn’t help but feel relieved at the smug look.

Maleficent rolled her eyes. “That stopped being offensive a long time ago.” Affection welled in her eyes and she moved to give him a hug. “I thought you might never forgive us.”

“You did warn me.” Graham returned it, squeezing before letting go.

Regina gave her sisters a glare and smirked. She would say ‘I told you so’ but her look did it for her. Graham wrapped his arms around her next, and although Regina had to hold her breath and duck out of the way of his manky dark hair, she squeezed him for a long moment.

“I really thought you would want my sister’s head,” Zelena said. “Shame.”

“Do shut it,” Regina said, pulling back. It was nice to see Graham again and know he didn’t blame them. They’d been friends once. She was glad at least there was one thing she could be at peace with.

Belle moved to Ruby’s side, linking their hands together. Zelena followed, draping an arm around Emma’s shoulders. It made Regina seethe, but when Emma didn’t push her off, in fact, she looked rather comfortable, Regina decided she didn’t need to intervene.

“She lost a bet,” Emma said. Zelena did not look convinced. “I had to console her!”

Regina sucked in a breath. “Console me?” she said. She jammed Emma in the chest. “You are the one who was in clear need of consoling, dear.”

Emma’s chest vibrated as she chuckled. “You’re so easy to wind up,” she said. “Like… so easy.”

Regina crossed her arms and squinted when her sister laughed too. “Hmm,” Zelena hummed. “I think I might get used to having you around, blondie.”

Emma smiled shyly, failing at maintaining a small distance from her sister. Regina didn’t know when she’d become so comfortable around Zelena, but she looked up at her admiringly. Although her sister was the source of much of her annoyance, it was adorable.

“Do you have the potions?” Maleficent asked. 

“I’m not an idiot,” Zelena said. She slipped her arm from around Emma and handed each of her sisters a vial, keeping one for herself. “It should last for an hour.”

“I thought you couldn’t step foot inside the graveyard,” Mary Margaret said, wiggling so much in Emma’s arms that she put her down. 

Regina couldn’t help the smirk and little evil cackle that followed. They might have some form of a truce going on, mainly because Emma seemed ridiculously fond of the cat, but the weary look made her want to float on clouds.

“Not that bright, are you?” Zelena said.

The three witches placed the vials against their lips and swallowed. A soft purple glow surrounded each of them. Mary Margaret made a strangled sound when Maleficent pushed the gate open and took a step inside. Maleficent smirked and winked at Regina.

“Wanna stay out here?” Ruby whispered to Belle. She nodded.

Emma turned to them. “Are you guys okay? I know this is a lot.”

Belle smiled, her thick accent one Regina had never encountered before. “We’re good,” she said. “But we’re not witches and I don’t think I can handle—” she swallowed, and Emma chuckled a little nervously.

“I get that,” Emma said.

Zelena followed Maleficent, but Regina stayed back, wanting to wait for Emma. “Where are you from?” Regina asked Belle.

The young woman startled for an instant, then smiled brightly at Regina, loving the attention. “Australia,” she said. “It was colonised a century of so after you, erm…died. It takes about twenty hours to fly to.”

“Fly to?” Regina asked.

“You’re all going to need some twenty-first century education,” Emma said.

Regina didn’t see that as a bad idea at all. There was so much she didn’t understand and they would need all the resources they could find.

“By plane,” Belle clarified. “We’ve invented travel that can take us around the entire world.”

Regina blinked. Three centuries and there was technology beyond their wildest dreams. Zelena and Maleficent stopped, both of them gawking.

“The entire world?” Maleficent echoed. “You speak the truth, child?”

Belle nodded quickly. As did Ruby and Emma when she glanced at them for confirmation. “Once this is all over, I would be happy to tutor you. Help you adjust,” Belle said, appearing a little sheepish and hopeful.

Ruby bumped her side. “This is why I love you,” she said dreamily. “Always wanting to help others.”

Regina watched them clasp their hands together right in the open. They didn’t even glance around themselves first. They didn’t hesitate. Belle placed a quick kiss on Ruby’s cheek and Regina sucked in a breath. Perhaps Emma had been telling the truth too, that they now existed within a world more accepting than their last.

“That is very kind of you,” Regina said. “And could be very helpful if we are to adjust.”

Belle beamed, clearly ecstatic at the prospect. It was nice and Regina instantly realised what she would have been sacrificing if she’d gone through with her selfish plan.

“I think we’re going to need it,” Zelena said. “But shall we get on with this first? Before people start noticing the zombie?”

Graham smiled then walked shakily towards the gate. “I must say, I missed the three of you.” Maleficent grabbed onto his hand and squeezed.

“I think we’re gonna grab a coffee or something,” Ruby said. “Meet you later?”

“Okay,” Emma said. Mary Margaret meowed softly. “Are you staying with them?” 

“Indeed. I do not wish to see them entering a place that should be sacred,” Mary Margaret said.

Regina rolled her eyes and joined her sister. “Emma, are you coming?” she asked, internally gloating when Emma turned away from the cat. She said a quick goodbye to her friends before trailing behind into the graveyard.

The grass squelched beneath Regina’s feet, mud covering her ankles. The fog was lifting slightly, replaced instead by a slight wind.

“How can I help?” Emma asked.

“We’ll let you know when the time is right,” Regina said.

Their pinkie fingers brushed together. Regina glanced at Emma who glanced at her, both of them looking away sharply. Regina dared to brush more of her hand against Emma’s, just to see what she would do. Emma hesitated then crossed her arms.

A wave of disappointment washed through Regina, but she swallowed it down. They needed to allow Graham to return to his rest then find a way to not end up exactly like him. That is what Regina should be focusing on. Not pretty blondes who made her chest stir.

They reached his grave. The ground remained spilled over in all directions. Graham stretched into the air and yawned. He had a goofy grin when his arms flopped back down to his sides. “I suppose I owe you a thank you,” Graham said to Emma.

Emma glanced around until her gaze landed on the zombie. “Me?” she squeaked in an overly adorable way.

“This is Emma,” Regina said softly. She moved to stand beside her, placing a protective hand on her arm. She squeezed gently then let go.

“I believe so,” he said. “Zelena filled me in. Sounds like you all had quite the night. And I did not wish to spend eternity with my mouth stitched shut. It’s about as pleasant as it sounds.”

“Erm—” Emma went to say something then shook her head, grimacing. “Sorry about your head,” she said, but Graham waved her off and chuckled. “So, what are we doing now?”

Zelena rolled her eyes. “Putting him back in his grave, of course.”

Regina pulled Graham into a hug and held him tightly. Her nose crinkled slightly, but she masked the revulsion at the smell. Emma was watching them when they untangled from the embrace, quickly diverting her eyes when Regina noticed her staring.

The other two witches hugged him in turn, prolonging the moment as long as they could allow. Once their goodbyes came to an end, Graham flopped into the grave and sat up with a grin on his face. “I guess it’s time for me to say goodbye,” he said.

“I… erm… hope you get some nice rest,” Emma said.

Emma shuffled uncomfortably, so when Maleficent and Zelena moved to the opposite side of the grave, Regina directed Emma by her side. She slipped an arm around Emma’s waist and squeezed. They didn’t need to say goodbye again. It would be too painful.

Instead they spread out. Regina nodded her head and lowered her arm. Emma got the hint and shuffled over. “I’m helping, _helping_?” Emma asked, eyes growing impossibly wide.

“Yes,” Regina said. “You don’t need to do anything more than accessing your magic.” This seemed to calm Emma enough for the startled look to fade away. 

Regina reached over and took Emma’s hand, clasping it tightly. Maleficent reached for Zelena’s first then for Emma’s. When Maleficent took Emma’s hand, both of them inhaled sharply, then looked at each other. Maleficent frowned, regarding Emma for a long moment before looking over Emma’s head.

“Our magic is connected.” Maleficent said. “Perhaps a distant blood line?”

Regina nodded uncertainly. “We’ll discuss it later,” she said, rubbing her thumb over Emma’s knuckles. “For now—”

Graham raised his arms into the air, stretched whilst yawning then fell backwards. Dirt flew up into the air then back on his face. His eyes were already closed. The witches began a spell and Emma closed her eyes. Regina could feel their magic intertwining, the power that was being transferred between them. She tightened her grip of Emma’s hand in reassurance.

The grave slowly closed over Graham’s body until it settled, as undisturbed as it had been before. Regina’s eyes stung. The four witches let go of each other’s hands, panting. Although Regina’s chest was tight, at least something had gone right. Perhaps it meant everything else could too.


	10. Chapter 10

Their magic weaved together, looping around and around in a cylinder shape around the candle. The yellow magic fizzled when it brushed against the green or red magic strands, but brightened against the purple ones. Regina watched as hers and Emma’s magic spun around each other, like two pieces of string that had been twisted together, as if they had always meant to be combined.

The four of them were stood around the candle creating what was essentially a force field. Maleficent was opposite Emma, the two sisters opposite each other. It would act as a barrier, so when the time came, the darkness would be contained before being reabsorbed into the candle.

“Emma,” Maleficent said after the yellow magic wouldn’t hold against hers after the tenth try. “Hit the red strands, not the spaces.”

Emma nodded, she was exhausted but not once had she complained. The magic slowly drifted from her fingers, connected with Maleficent’s, then spun around the circle until it reached Emma again. Emma’s arms flopped down as her chest panted. It worked.

Regina glanced at Maleficent. “You’re right,” she said. Their magic _was _connected. Maleficent hummed, went to say something then stopped. The hope in her eyes faded and Regina decided not to voice what she’d been thinking.

“It looks like the trail of a speedster,” Emma said.

Zelena arched a brow. “A what?”

“Oh—” Emma chuckled. “See the way each colour loops around, it’s shiny like a light but a little blurry where each colour meets?” Each person nodded, though Regina imagined neither of them understood where Emma was taking this. “There are fictional characters who can run so fast that you can’t see them move, all that’s left is a trail of colour.”

“Like…in a movie?” Regina asked, and Emma nodded enthusiastically.

Regina felt the corners of her lips turn up automatically. Although Emma was completely unaware, she was in her element. Her hold on her magic was improving and she no longer glanced at her hands in fear.

Regina and her sisters had had enough practice combining their magic that they’d had no trouble at all. They’d spent years getting used to each other’s power sources, they didn’t have to think twice. But Emma was an unknown, and now all that remained, as far as Regina could see, was for Zelena to get over herself.

Regina glanced across the candle. “Stop being jealous,” she said. “You’re adding too much energy. It’s pushing Emma out. This isn’t a competition.”

“I’m doing exactly what I’ve always done,” Zelena protested.

“Well it’s not working,” Regina said. “We need to adjust to account for Emma.”

Zelena rolled her eyes, but before she could alter the progress she’d made, Emma focused on the spell. Her brows furrowed, hands at the ready. Everyone turned to watch her. She breathed in slowly, then breathed out. A bright yellow streak hit the spell then looped in and out of each coloured strand of magic.

Each strand shone brighter after Emma’s had touched it. It spun around the circle twice before sealing off. Emma heaved in a deep breath, lowering her arms. The magic remained.

“_Good,_” Regina said.

“You are improving very quickly,” Maleficent added.

Zelena even offered an impressed nod. “It took me months to do that,” she said. “Perhaps I’ve underestimated you, blondie.”

Regina smirked smugly at her sister. “Never mind,” she said, but instead of huffing like an overgrown child, Zelena lightly pushed Emma’s shoulder. When Emma looked up, Zelena winked, and for a moment, Regina didn’t feel the incessant need to knock her sister’s head off.

“Thanks,” Emma said, bouncing on her toes, as her arms swayed by her sides. “Do you think this will work?”

“It’s the best plan we’ve got,” Regina said. “The combination of magic should confuse the darkness. That way it shouldn’t go in search of another host.” 

“We can’t know that until it happens,” Zelena said, shrugging. “Are we done for now? I have a potion to finish.”

“What potion?” Regina asked.

There was one brewing on the table, but Zelena had been rather coy about it. Zelena shared a glance with Emma. “_What potion_?” she demanded. The two of them shared another look. Emma wrung her hands together and didn’t make eye contact. Zelena smirked and shimmied herself to her work place.

_What the hell had Regina missed? _Surely, if there was something going on Emma would confide in her over her sister. Regina placed a hand on her hip and glared at Emma, but instead of answering, she shrugged sheepishly then sauntered over to Zelena.

Regina huffed loudly then moved herself next to the open window. She would give them the benefit of the doubt; she owed Emma at least that much. Maleficent came to stand by her side, it gave Regina the opportunity to face her and steal a quick glance behind her shoulder. Emma poured an ingredient into the beaker then waved her hand over the top. Regina’s lips pursed. She had out right refused to help Regina with any potions last night.

“Glaring isn’t going to help.” Maleficent said.

“I am unaware of what exactly you are referring to,” Regina said.

Emma glanced up and caught Regina’s eye, and Regina offered up an encouraging smile. She wasn’t a monster. Then she turned back towards the window and let it drop. At least Emma felt comfortable helping with potions now.

“How are you doing?” Regina asked. “Really?”

Maleficent was her rock, yet, she’d been so preoccupied with everything that had been going on she’d forgotten to check in.

Maleficent smiled sadly. “I’m not sure. If we survive this, I believe everything may hit me at once.”

“Then we’ll find a roof to throw things off and use them for magic target practice,” Regina said, slipping her hand into Maleficent’s. Their fingers twined together and squeezed tightly. “Or perhaps, with all of this new technology, there’s a way to find out what happened to Lilith?”

Regina glanced back at Emma in wonder. The way their magic reacted to one another was strange, but perhaps it meant something, something that Regina didn’t want to say out loud for fear of raising Maleficent’s hopes up only to shatter them.

“Perhaps,” Maleficent said sadly.

Maleficent glanced out of the window, so Regina decided to drop the topic. There would be time later for Maleficent to grieve, or to talk, or to process however she needed to. There was little point in forcing the issue and dredging up pain. 

“What’s the first thing you want to do?” Regina asked.

“What do you mean?”

“If we survive,” Regina said. “What will be the first thing you want to do?”

Maleficent nodded and took a moment to think. “I believe I would like to fly over the entire town,” she said. “The changes are extraordinary. Don’t you think?”

“Indeed. They are. I think I may even join you.”

“I’d like that,” Maleficent said. “And you? What would you do?”

“I think I would like to see one of these movies Emma keeps mentioning,” Regina said without thought.

Maleficent smirked and wiggled her eyebrows. “Why does that not surprise me?” she said, and her smile, gods, it brightened up her entire face. Regina had almost forgotten how much Maleficent wanted to see her happy.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Regina asked.

Maleficent shrugged, “No reason.” Regina hummed as Maleficent squeezed their clasped hands. “I think she’s wonderful.”

Regina went to reply but didn’t know what she was supposed to say. Of course Emma was wonderful, she was helping them to survive, wasn’t she? Luckily, Zelena gasped in delight before Regina could respond, giving her the distraction she needed.

Zelena passed Emma two vials, which she shoved into her jacket pockets. She then turned to face Regina with her hands clasped in front of her middle.

“Are you finally ready to tell me what’s going on?” Regina asked.

Emma glanced back over her shoulder. Zelena flicked her hand and the cupboard door opened. “I think you’re going to need your broom, sis.”

* * *

The broom descended slowly. Emma’s fingers were gripped so tightly onto Regina’s dress it was a surprise she hadn’t managed to throw them off. It had been terrifying, so Emma breathed a sigh of relief when her shoes hit the ground. Tingles shot up her legs now she was moving her weight onto them, and they trembled slightly whilst Regina landed and stood in one swift motion.

Regina twisted her head over her shoulder, her face barely containing her amusement. “You’ll get used to it,” she said, but Emma was already shaking her head, wondering if she could bargain with Regina for them to walk back.

Once she had steadied herself Emma made a point of narrowing her eyes. “Was that payback for the car thing?” she asked. “Did you really have to go that high?” The buildings had looked like ants, the trees little specs.

Regina’s smirk widened. “Planning to walk back?” she asked, voice the sound of innocence, but where Emma would usually fire something sarcastic back, the thought of being alone in the dark made her shudder. She smiled tightly at Regina, biting her tongue when Regina gloated.

When that was finally over, Emma pulled out the first vial. “You’ll need this,” she said, pushing it into Regina’s hands.

That made the amusement wash from Regina’s face. “Are you going to tell me why we’re here?”

“Trust me?” Emma said, more of a question than a statement, but Regina popped open the vial without further prompting. Once she glowed purple the two of them went into the graveyard. 

The rays from the setting sun glistened over the grass and fell over some gravestones, but others were cast in shadows. Emma expected there to be a gloomy fog, but instead, leaves were scattered over the ground as the bare trees stood tall around them. In fact, it looked rather beautiful.

The leaves crunched beneath their feet as Emma directed them to the appropriate grave. Regina was oddly quiet the entire way. It made Emma nervous, because she didn’t know Regina well enough to predict how she would react. She slipped the second vial from her pocket then came to a stop. Regina stopped beside her. “Zelena said you’d know what to do with this.”

The instant Regina’s eyes landed on the golden liquid, her face paled. “Who’s here?” she asked, gaze flickering between the potion and Emma, as if her taking it or not depended on the answer. Emma didn’t answer. So, Regina sighed and wrapped her fingers around it.

“Turn around,” Emma said softly.

It seemed to take Regina a moment to contemplate whether she wanted to know who’s grave she was at. Her questioning eyes fell to Emma briefly before she turned around. Emma held her breath, waiting for some reaction, but the only indication that Regina had read the name came with her shoulders stiffening.

Regina hardly moved. The hand covering the vial squeezed so tightly Emma was afraid it was going to shatter. Although Emma had never been great at offering comfort, she imagined Regina needed someone, and Emma realised with a start that she wanted to be that person.

So, she stepped by her side and placed a hand on her lower back. “Would you like me to stay? Or would you prefer to be alone?”

Regina closed her eyes and rocked back on her heels. “Alone,” she said. “I want to be alone with her.”

Emma nodded. “I’ll be outside the gate.”

Emma strolled across the grass, glancing over her shoulder every few steps to check that Regina was okay. When Regina popped open the potion, curiosity stopped her, so Emma watched from a safe distance. Only for a few minutes, she told herself, to see what the potion did.

Regina spread it over the ground in front of the headstone then took a step back. When a figure materialised, Regina gasped. Emma’s eyes widened. The woman wore a blue cloak and had a long dark plait down her left side. The empty vial tumbled from Regina’s fingers then she lurched forwards, pulling the young woman into a hug.

Emma stared unblinking for an entire minute. Still, she couldn’t make out the woman’s face with the way it was buried in Regina’s neck. “Daniella,” Regina whispered, stroking her hair before she placed a kiss against her forehead. Regina cupped her cheek. Daniella placed her hand over Regina’s, head leaning into the touch, and smiled. 

It was then Emma realised her few minutes were up. They deserved privacy. Emma left the graveyard, not bothering to process what she had seen and spent the time munching on a bag of chips. She was waiting on a bench and had finished her luscious meal when Regina stumbled past the gate with red-rimmed eyes.

“Hey,” Emma said.

“Hey,” Regina replied, though her voice was a little hoarse.

Emma shuffled over on the bench. “Are you okay?” she asked, anticipating sadness, but when Regina looked at Emma, her expression had shifted. Regina’s eyes shone, and her lips parted in a gentle, genuine smile. Emma was mesmerised.

“Yes,” she said, then sat down. She reached over to grip above Emma’s knee, squeezing softly. “I believe I am.” Emma couldn’t help but notice the changes in Regina from the previous evening to the Regina right now. She looked so different.

Emma’s eyes flickered to the hand then back to Regina. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked shyly.

“No.” She met Emma’s eyes. “They didn’t find her, that’s all I needed to know.”

Emma nodded. Because she had unjustifiably read her diary, she didn’t feel as if it was her place to push Regina into giving her any more details. “The not knowing is the worst,” Emma whispered knowingly, and Regina hummed in agreement, her hand still resting on Emma’s trembling thigh.

They stayed on the bench for a little while, sitting in a comfortable silence, their thighs occasionally touching. It was nice, even if a little cold. Emma twiddled with her fingers, then admitted, “You know what? I don’t think magic is all that bad after all.”

“No?” The corner of Regina’s lip upturned playfully, and Emma was suddenly glad Regina couldn’t possibly guess that that simple gesture made her insides turn to mush.

“No.”

“Good.”

And they went back to sitting in silence; comfortably so. Emma imagined Regina needed time to process, and she didn’t want to push her. She was content just being. Finally, when Regina grabbed her broom, Emma didn’t even protest it, just grimaced a little after she’d flung her leg over the life-threatening object.

Regina chuckled with her hands clasped around the front of the broom, sensing her distress. “I’ll go a little lower this time,” she promised, twisting her head so her dark hair brushed Emma’s cheek.

Emma’s arms flailed. Regina squeezed her thighs around the broom to hold it steady then reached blindly behind her. Her hands flapped around until warm fingers wrapped themselves around Emma’s wrists. “What are y—” her voice came out strangled when her arms were looped around Regina’s waist.

“You’ll do better holding on to me rather than to my dress,” she said, each word slow and carefully chosen. Regina cleared her throat then gripped back onto the broom. Emma happily nodded, she wasn’t about to disagree.

As they began to lift off the ground, their feet dangling in mid-air, Emma leant herself forwards, tightening her grip. Regina was so soft and warm, and she felt safer than she had on the fly over. With her left cheek against Regina’s shoulder, Emma lightly squeezed Regina’s waist, sighing deeply.

They flew under the stars, wind gently pushing their hair behind their faces. It was the closest Emma had ever been to feeling completely content. The cold was bitter against her face, her nose and cheeks quickly turning a soft shade of pink. She snuggled herself a little closer to Regina. She felt _safe_.

“You’re right,” Emma said against the wind. “I could get used to this.” When Regina chuckled it sent a wave of butterflies crashing through her stomach.

Once they had landed, Regina asked, “Better?” with a knowing smirk.

Emma felt her cheeks heat up. She nodded with her lip between her teeth. Truth be told she was sad the ride had ended. Regina chuckled and playfully bumped her hip, causing Emma to giggle. She sounded like a school girl with a crush and the realization only made her blush harder. They were smiling at each other even after walking into the cabin; and then Maleficent ran towards them, and Emma’s smile immediately faded.

Maleficent waved a hand in front of Emma’s face, muttering something under her breath. Emma ducked, utterly confused. Regina stiffened beside her, and her subdued reaction caused Emma to stop fidgeting.

“She’s fine,” Maleficent said, yet she lightly took a hold of Emma’s cheeks and moved her head from side to side as if she were a doctor checking for reflexes. Emma was stunned into silence.

“Hmm—" Zelena held up a vial with a clear liquid substance. The one Regina had made the previous night when they’d been alone. “Care to comment?” she asked Regina, who was slowly walking away from Emma.

“_I didn’t use it_,” Regina hissed.

It concerned Emma that the pair were sending icy stares towards Regina whose shoulders had stiffened considerably. Regina looked worried, and her gaze kept flickering towards Emma then away.

“Erm—” Emma bit her lip and wondered if she should say something. She wanted to help, and Regina _was_ telling the truth. “She didn’t use it,” she confirmed, eager to defend her.

Regina’s posture sharpened. Her footsteps stomped loudly through the cabin, then she snatched the potion from Zelena’s hands.

“You made this last night?” Maleficent asked. “What were you planning to do with it?”

Maleficent moved closer to Emma, one arm slightly outstretched in front of her. It was probably nothing, but the hairs on the back of Emma’s neck rose in warning. She looked uneasily around the room, trying desperately to meet Regina’s gaze. Surely it couldn’t be so bad? Regina had been almost soft with her, she’d been real. It hadn’t been all a ploy had it? All she needed was for Regina to tell her that her sisters were overreacting. That this was a simple misunderstanding.

“It doesn’t matter,” Regina said, avoiding Emma’s eyes and putting the vial in her pocket then pulling it out again. “I’m not going to use it.”

Zelena tusked. “But you still made it?”

Regina nodded faintly, worrying her lower lip. “I’m not going to use it,” she repeated, then she forced her cheeks upwards into a smile that made Emma shiver. “You’re welcome to sleep here again tonight,” she said to Emma. “If you want to, of course.”

Her chuckle was fake, the alarm bells ringing inside Emma’s mind. She’d known Regina had been hiding something, so perhaps—perhaps this was it. “What does it do?” Emma asked and forced herself to focus on Regina. “The potion?”

Her smile tightened. One last chance to come clean. “It doesn’t matter. You should get some rest.”

The uneasiness grew, so much that Emma found herself shuffling and glancing at the door. “I want to know what it does.”

Maleficent breathed out slowly. “The potion is used—”

“_Mal_.” They stared at each other. Zelena whistled as if this was the beginning of a cat fight. Then Regina whispered, “_Please,_” and the whole room fell silent. It was thick and unyielding and for a moment Emma regretted having asked. Regina looked terrified, but of what? Emma couldn’t begin to guess, but she was suddenly weary of finding out, she almost didn’t want to know anymore, not if it meant making Regina sad.

No one had ever cared about what she thought before that Emma was a second away from saying it didn’t matter, that yes, she was tired and would like to stay the night. But Maleficent beat her to it. “She has a right to know,” she said. “Especially if…”

Emma didn’t speak. She didn’t dare breathe too loudly. She glanced across the room and Regina was looking at her with so much longing that it physically hurt when Emma asked, “If what?” because she couldn’t not know.

“The potion is used to essentially make someone your puppet,” Maleficent explained. “If you were to take this, then whenever anyone asked something of you, you would do it. The effects only last a few days, but as you can see, it can be deadly in the wrong hands.”

“But—”

Emma’s mouth opened and closed. Regina had been hiding something she was sure of it. That potion had been made when they had been alone. Emma didn’t need to ask whom the potion was intended for.

Regina’s eyes gleamed, her hand flat on her stomach. “Emma,” she said thickly, as if her name was drowning in the same despair Emma herself felt. “I couldn’t—I couldn’t go through with it.”

Emma’s head shook from side to side. Her throat was so tight she couldn’t breathe. She stumbled backwards, managing to pull the door open on the third try. She felt like a fool.

Out on the porch she almost turned back around. It was dark and she was scared to go through the woods alone. The visibility was so low Emma could hardly see past the first set of trees, and the way the branches curled in and around almost made them look alive. She shivered, but she couldn’t turn back either. So she did the only thing that made sense to her, she ran.

“Emma!” Maleficent called. “Emma, wait!”

Emma pumped her arms harder, the trees a blur on the way through. Red smoke appeared out of nowhere a few feet ahead, followed by Maleficent. Emma jolted, gulping in air and practically collided with the woman. Maleficent’s hands grabbed hold of her arms when she began to struggle.

“Emma, it’s okay. It’s okay.”

“It’s not.”

“No, it’s not.”

Emma sagged. Her stomach hurt. She wanted so badly to punch something just to make the hurt go away. She felt so betrayed. There had been _something_ there, between herself and Regina, she had felt it, except there hadn’t, it had been all her. She had been an _idiot. _This had been inevitable. Emma knew exactly what Regina had wanted and it had never been _her. _

The tears sprung to her eyes and spilled over despairingly. She felt pathetic wiping the backs of her hands over her cheeks. Maleficent gasped as if her tears were shocking and it made her feel worse. But Maleficent reached out, her fingers wrapping around Emma’s wrist to spin it around. She shoved the jacket up her forearm.

“It’s just a birthmark,” Emma muttered. 

“It’s not a birthmark,” Maleficent said. “It’s—”

Maleficent dropped her arm, hands coming up to cover her mouth. The next thing Emma knew there were arms wrapping around her shoulders. Emma let her. She felt so sad and small that she snuggled into Maleficent without caring if she’d feel embarrassed after. Maleficent squeezed her arms so tightly Emma felt as if her ribs were about to crack.

“Oh, Emma,” she said. “That mark is our witches mark.” She squeezed once more before dropping her arms. Maleficent showed Emma her wrist. It had an identical star shaped mark. “We’re from the same bloodline.”

“What does that mean?” Emma asked, her voice sounding stuffy.

“It means we’re family,” she said simply, as if that entire statement didn’t have the power to knock the wind from Emma’s chest.

“I don’t have any family.”

“It would be distantly, of course, but—” she looked up, calmer now and cupped Emma’s cheek. For all the doubts, Emma sighed and tipped her head. “All of my family was killed before I moved to Salem. So…”

Emma’s chin trembled, finally following Maleficent’s thought process. “Lily?”

Maleficent’s eyes filled, her smile watery and tight, and the corners of her eyes were crinkled in conflicting emotions. “Lilith must have had children of her own,” she said, then she was frowning and taking a hold of Emma’s hand. “Come back inside. It’ll be okay, Emma. I promise.”

For a moment Emma was still. “I can’t,” she said, slipping her hand from Maleficent’s. “I—” her head shook, because her rejection resulted in Maleficent’s eyes burning. It made Emma feel terrible but returning would mean facing Regina. The one person who had made her feel special then ripped it away.

“Then tomorrow?” Maleficent asked, a weary expression crossing her face.

Emma stiffened. If she didn’t return, they would all die. How could she then live with herself? Maleficent pulled her in for another hug. One Emma didn’t fight either. “I don’t want to,” Emma muttered, even though she knew she didn’t really have a choice. Maleficent just squeezed her tighter.

“Would you like me to walk with you?” she asked. “Perhaps we could talk?”

“Okay,” she muttered.

“Come on—” she rubbed Emma’s back then pulled away, directing her through the woods. The conflict brewed in Emma’s stomach. Maleficent was her _family, _and she knew she wouldn’t leave her to perish, but she was hurting all over and the last thing she wanted was to face the cause of that.

“I hate her,” Emma said, even though she knew she sounded like a petulant child. Maleficent didn’t comment or tell her she was wrong, she just sighed sadly and placed a gentle hand on Emma’s lower back.

Regina had truly fucked up.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another trigger warning is in the end notes if anyone would prefer to know in advance.

They’d used more potion instead of sleeping, so by morning Regina was full of jittery nerves and an unending amount of energy. She used it to pace, because with Emma still gone and the containment spell as strong as it could be, there was little left to do other than to continue to stew in her thoughts and misery.

It had surprised Regina just how much it had stung when Emma had walked out of the door. The look on her face when she’d realised exactly what that potion had been intended for had been Regina’s source of melancholy all evening. The regret sat heavily in her stomach, and the instant it began to ebb, all she needed to do was picture Emma’s face and it would hit her all over again.

Now in the light of day, it only ached more, because the cabin felt woefully empty without Emma’s presence. “Where the hell _is_ she?” Regina asked as if she had any right to be angry. Her responses included a long sigh from her sister and nothing from Maleficent who was solemnly staring out the window and hadn’t moved an inch in hours.

She needed Emma to return so she could properly apologise. Surely, Emma would understand that the darkness in her heart had forced her hand, that it had been Emma herself who had twisted it back. She needed to tell her how she had changed her heart back. She had to, because she just couldn’t die without getting to see Emma one more time. Just one more time, she had to see those sad eyes twinkle and her pale blush rising up her neck. She needed to see her smile.

Maleficent perked up, and for an instant hope arose in Regina’s chest. Perhaps Emma would look at her without disdain, perhaps she would finally get a fucking break; but the door creaked open, and her hope was simultaneously crushed and revived when Emma stumbled numbly inside.

Her eyes were puffy and she had Mary Margaret cuddled against her chest. She looked wearily around the cabin. “I destroyed it,” Regina said pleadingly, but Emma didn’t acknowledge her further than a faint nod. Mary Margaret, however, jumped from Emma’s arms and swiped at Regina at once.

“Stay away from her,” she hissed, small paws landing on Regina’s feet. She gave the cat one of her signature deadpan looks, because the last thing she wanted to do on her possible last day on earth, was argue with the person who had sold them out.

Maleficent went straight to her, pulling Emma into a hug that made Regina feel like she’d been punched in the gut when all she could do was watch. “I’m glad you’re here,” she said, and when she pulled back Emma looked shyly at her feet. “I have something for you.”

The cradle was tugged from around Maleficent’s neck and she held it up between them. “I can’t take that,” Emma said, but Maleficent ignored her and placed the necklace over Emma’s head, gently pulling out her hair then placing her finger over the cradle where it rested perfectly against Emma’s chest. 

“It will act as a talisman,” Maleficent said. “You’ll have much more control over your magic this way. And I can help you.”

Regina sucked in a breath. They hadn’t discussed what they would do with Emma today, they hadn’t really talked much about anything, had just bickered and fidgeted and bickered some more, until Maleficent had tuned her out and Zelena had disappeared for a while. It had given Regina plenty of time to think about what magic she would teach Emma today, if she let her.

That way she would still get to talk to her, even just a little bit. Surely Emma would agree to that.

“We didn’t discuss this,” Regina argued. “It’s my job—”

“I understand Emma’s magic better than you do,” Maleficent said. “And I doubt Emma wants you anywhere near her right now.” Emma looked uncomfortable but didn’t refute it.

Regina went silent, because no matter the circumstances, Maleficent was right; she would be able to help Emma better than she could. She didn’t want to argue either, even if her stomach felt as if it had been trodden on.

“Very well,” she said. “Emma, I’m—” but her mouth wouldn’t let her say something as simple as _sorry._

Emma’s eyes shone before she yanked the door open. So, she messed up her first chance to apologise. She would laugh at herself at how absurd she was being, but she didn’t feel much like laughing. Mary Margaret spun, lifted her tail then trotted through the door. Maleficent followed, and all Regina could do was watch them from the window.

With Maleficent’s talisman and help, Emma improved much more quickly than she had yesterday. She could access her magic quicker, had more control and was more precise, but she was being sloppy, easily distracted, and making careless mistakes. Regina knew she was torturing herself by watching, but she couldn’t bring herself to walk away.

“Why don’t you talk to her?” Zelena asked, plonking her arm around Regina’s shoulders. For once she didn’t shrug it off. No one else was willing to acknowledge her, so it was nice that her sister hadn’t turned her back on her too. 

“I doubt she wants anything to do with me.”

“Perhaps you should explain. It was your heart, right?” Zelena asked, but Regina didn’t reply, because even if that was true, she had been aware that what she was doing was wrong.

“I’d made you both a promise,” she said instead.

“And that’s exactly what you should say to her.”

Regina doubted it would be so simple. “Let’s just hope Mal can teach her enough in time.”

“If it wasn’t for your annoying wits, we wouldn’t even be here right now,” Zelena said. “You gave us a chance at least.” Regina felt the whisk of a smile at that. “Pay it forwards, little sis.”

“What?”

“I heard someone say it last night. I like how it sounds.”

Regina chuckled, because leave it to her sister to pick up slang from this era. Zelena squeezed her softly then left Regina alone to stew in her thoughts.

At one point, Emma slammed her fist into a tree. Before thinking it through, Regina sprung into action, flinging open the cabin door. The pair turned around. Emma’s face was hard and unforgiving, and it made Regina wobble.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Regina demanded. “Bashing that poor tree isn’t going to help.”

“Well it sure made me feel a whole lot better.” Emma shook her hand out, wincing. Perhaps it wasn’t a bright idea, but Regina hadn’t stopped watching her with those sad eyes that made Emma’s chest ache and she had needed to hit something. “Don’t pretend that you care.”

Maleficent came closer and gently took Emma’s hand to assess the damage. “You don’t need to hurt yourself,” she whispered. Emma yanked her hand away, uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the two set of eyes now watching her wearily.

“I was just frustrated,” she said quickly. “I’m fine.”

For an instant, Maleficent and Regina had once again joined forces, and Emma hated it. They glanced at each other in concern, even if Maleficent’s gaze was a little more accusatory. All Emma had ever wanted was for people to care about her, but the instant they did she felt suffocated and trapped. They didn’t need to pity her. If she needed to punch a tree to transfer one type of hurt to another then she would. She was an adult, dammit.

“Clearly,” Regina drawled, and it made Emma want to hit the tree all over again. “Do you not remember what I taught you yesterday?”

“Not to trust you?”

Regina’s lips pinched together, choosing to ignore the rightful but mistimed response. “Magic is emotion. Use what you are feeling to properly channel it.”

“Are you serious?” The anger bubbled in Emma’s stomach and wanted to explode. She bounced on the spot and shook her arms out like a boxer before a match. “Is this your latest plan? Get Emma angry enough so she can save your ass?”

“I didn’t—I didn’t mean—”

“Save it.”

Regina tugged her fingers through her hair, sighing in frustration. “I couldn’t go through with it. Doesn’t that count for something?”

“No,” Emma said, the single syllable enough to end this debate before it had even begun. Regina looked crushed. Emma felt a twisted sense of satisfaction that only lasted a moment before the hurt returned. “You used me, just like everyone else.”

“I _wanted _you, unlike everyone else.”

Emma froze, whilst the feeling of something heavy settled on her chest. Hot tears sprung to her eyes, but she blinked quickly, refusing to shed them. Regina’s face fell, her mouth opening slightly and staying that way.

“That came out wrong,” she defended. “I do care about you.”

“Yeah? Well you have a funny way of showing it,” she snapped then turned away, refusing to give Regina another minute of her time. 

* * *

The sky dimmed before Emma noticed any time had passed. It was red and orange and yellow, the colours swirling together around the clouds. The sun was low and made Emma squint. She shuffled a little, back propped up against a tree and gulped some water. “Thanks for coming,” she said to Ruby and Belle. “I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“What are friends for if not to support your stupid decisions?” Ruby said, bumping Emma’s shoulder. It made Emma happier for a moment, because no matter what the outcome, she had made two wonderful friends. “You think you can forgive her?”

“I don’t know,” Emma admitted.

It wasn’t as if Regina’s sullen expression didn’t have any effect on Emma, but the betrayal overrode everything else. She only wished she had more time, so her anger could be justified for as long as she needed it to be.

“I think this is brave of you,” Belle said.

“You just want to bore the witches to death with a million questions,” Ruby said. “Don’t play the martyr.”

Belle arched her brows accusatorily at her girlfriend. “I was never denying that.”

Ruby threw her arm around Belle’s shoulders, chuckling, “I’m just teasing.” 

Mary Margaret climbed onto her lap, rubbing her head against Emma’s shoulder. “It has been wonderful getting to know you,” she said, and the happiness vanished.

“You too,” she said thickly.

Belle scratched the cat behind her ears. “Do you think you’ll find your family?”

“One can hope,” the cat said.

Emma spent the next few moments cuddling the cat, her way of saying goodbye without uttering the words. She had grown fond of Mary Margaret and she would be sad to lose her.

Maleficent strolled through the woods with a weary look on her face. So, Emma snuggled the cat for another moment then placed her on Belle’s lap. “Good luck,” Belle muttered, pulling the cat against her chest. Mary Margaret had stopped fussing over the manhandling by now, allowing herself to get comfortable against Belle’s chest.

“We’ll be waiting out here,” Ruby said.

Emma nodded at them in thanks as Maleficent’s shadow ran over her. She flashed quick smiles at Ruby and Belle, even offering Mary Margaret a nod, then held out her hand to Emma. “It is time,” she said, so Emma placed her hand in Maleficent’s and allowed herself to be tugged up.

The pair walked back towards the cabin. Emma’s heart rate slowly increased until she could feel each beat in her chest. She wiped her hands on the side of her jeans as all her life’s failures flashed before her eyes.

Inside the cabin the two sisters were adding a few more layers of magic to the spell around the candle. The flame was hardly a flicker, set to go out at any moment. Upon hearing her footsteps, Regina’s head turned, her eyes filled with longing. Emma started to tremble, because she wasn’t ready to forgive her, but if they didn’t make it—

Maleficent came into her line of sight, placing both hands on her upper arms. “You can do this,” she said softly, and Emma offered up a gentle smile as Regina, without preamble, just yanked out her own heart. Then it was too late, because her heart was placed on the stand in front of the candle, Zelena moved behind her sister and Maleficent left Emma to stand beside the spell.

Emma shuffled awkwardly, waiting for their signal. A hand slipped into her own and Emma forgot to breathe. Regina squeezed it once before letting go. It felt almost like a goodbye. The only one she was getting. “We’re ready,” she said, and Emma swallowed and nodded. Her hands lifted slowly, and she breathed in, breathed out, focusing on hitting the right spots on Regina’s heart.

The pain shot straight from Regina’s heart and around her body. Though it had been taken out, each spec of magic that hit felt like a jolt of electricity running through her system. When she began to spasm against the pain, Zelena gripped onto her arms from behind. It left her rooted, unable to reach out and put a stop to this.

Emma seemed to pause when Regina’s arms were pinned by her sides. “Keep going,” she said. “Just keep going.”

Emma looked at her, really looked at her for the first time all day, then nodded her understanding, “Okay.”

The process was slow and torturous, and for an instant, Regina wondered if Emma was doing it on purpose. But even though Emma didn’t have enough experience to attempt that, Regina dismissed the thought as quickly as it had arrived. She knew by now Emma was better than that.

“The spaces, Emma,” Regina said through gritted teeth. “Our magic attracts, where it connects with Maleficent’s.” Regina spasmed against Zelena’s hold when Emma did the complete opposite, blurry eyed and unable to see clearly. “Emma. I didn’t—I didn’t mean—”

“Shut up.”

Emma wiped quickly at her cheeks before beginning again. The cradle around her neck glowed as she channelled it. This time Emma successfully hit the red spots of Regina’s heart, tugged the darkness to her own magic then dropped it into the containment spell. Maleficent stood by it and added another layer as the darkness swirled inside its perimeters.

“You are doing wonderfully,” Maleficent said.

Emma’s eyes flickered to Maleficent in acknowledgment, but Regina could tell that her concentration was shot. For every time she would grab a spec of darkness, she would miss three others. Sweat gathered on her forehead and when Regina hissed at another failed attempt, Emma’s arms flopped to her sides in frustration.

“Emma, look at me,” Regina said through her tears, and although it took a moment, Emma did. With their gazes locked Regina managed to take her first calming breath of the day. “No matter what happens, I’m proud of you.”

They stared at each other for so long Regina wasn’t sure if Emma was going to continue. Emma’s eyes filled. The flame flickered as if in warning then reduced until it could barely be seen. It pulled her out of her trance, and she got to work pulling those last pieces of darkness free. Regina only hoped that it had been enough, so if this didn’t work, Emma’s final memories of her wouldn’t only be negative.

Emma’s hands hovered over her heart. The remaining darkness was pulled up into the yellow magic flowing into it. Emma lifted it and Regina gasped, holding the breath in her lungs as lightness spread through her body. It was the gasp that pulled Emma’s focus from the spell towards Regina. Her magic weakened long enough for that tiny spec to tumble to the ground.

Regina’s arms shot up. A magic barrier immediately solidified around Emma. The darkness pushed strongly against it then rose above their spell. At once, the barrier dropped. Emma looked around the cabin with bulging eyes. She had failed.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Regina bolted to Emma. She wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Emma, you did wonderful,” she said, squishing her head to Emma’s gently. Emma was shaking, but there was no time for Regina to comfort her, instead she pushed Emma behind her, and she stumbled backwards in a daze.

Zelena moved next to Maleficent, adding layers to the spell whilst the darkness inside whipped around. Regina grabbed her heart, she was an inch away from having it back in her chest when the darkness inside the spell pushed free. It sent her stumbling backwards into Emma.

The force of being so close to the spell combusting sent Zelena and Maleficent flying into opposite corners. They slammed into the ground then slumped where they fell. The darkness rose and rose, creating a tornado in the centre of the cabin.

Regina reached backwards, her hands flailing. She pulled her eyes from the darkness long enough to notice Emma moving towards Maleficent. “Emma! No!” She stopped a few paces from Maleficent’s body, hands fisted by her sides and wide eyes glued to the dark tornado.

Regina muttered the spell under her breath that had connected her sisters to the candle, effectively taking all the energy herself. It was minutes from going out, if disconnecting them didn’t work, they would die anyway. She used her free hand to swipe it through the air. It created a bang. Maleficent’s and Zelena’s backs arched off the ground before they fell back down.

Suddenly, unpredictably so, the darkness turned towards Emma. For a second Regina froze as it circled her. Emma turned towards her, eyes pleading as she trembled violently. Regina smiled sadly at her; she didn’t hesitate once before plunging her heart inside the swirling darkness.

As if magnetised, it tunnelled back inside. Emma stumbled backwards, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. Once it had finished, the impact shoved the heart back into Regina’s chest and threw her backwards. The last thing Regina felt was the hard floor against her back and the sound of a sharp cry.

And then the candle went out.

Emma stood over Regina’s unmoving body, unable to process what had just happened. She fell to her knees, hands going to Regina’s shoulders, shaking them. “Regina,” she said, voice so tight it hurt to breath. “Regina.”

She shook her again, eyes blurring. She’d been so sure this would work that she hadn’t considered the possibility that they would die after all. Emma glanced around the cabin. All three of them laid, unmoving, and it had been all her fault.

Tears collected on her cheeks, her focus returning to Regina. “I know you cared about me,” she whispered, tugging the strands of hair away from her cheeks. Her bottom lip trembled as she thought about this final day and how stupid she had been. “God, I was such an asshole.”

“Was all of that necessary?” Zelena asked.

Emma eye’s snapped towards the sound. Zelena sat up, rubbing at her head with a grimace. Her arm lowered when she saw Emma, then Regina lying still beside her. Emma shook her head, because what else was there to do? Maybe she would wake up too, but her chest wasn’t moving.

She would never get to tell Regina that she forgave her. That she had believed her when she’d said she’d changed her mind. Emma had been so hurt and angry that she couldn’t quite let go of the pain even knowing that there would be no do-over if this went wrong.

“Mal,” Zelena hissed. They waited in silence. “Maleficent! So help me, if you don’t get up—”

“Do shut it,” Maleficent said. She groaned, rolling over with her hand on her lower back. Relief washed over Zelena’s face. “So that—” she glanced up. “Regina?”

Emma’s lip wobbled. “She…she—”

Regina gasped in for so long her chest rose off the ground. It flopped down roughly, but then her eyes fluttered open. “Emma?” she said, reaching out to cup her cheek. It was so warm that Emma’s head tipped automatically. Regina’s thumb brushed against her tears. “You okay?”

“I thought I’d lost you,” she said, her voice coming out squeaky and small.

Regina pushed herself up onto shaky arms, and Emma dived forwards, arms wrapping around Regina’s neck. The hold was tighter than necessary, but Emma couldn’t help it. She buried her face when Regina’s arms wrapped around her back.

“I’m so sorry for everything I put you through,” Regina whispered.

Her damp cheeks brushed against Regina’s neck, and it was only because it became a little uncomfortable that she pulled back. When she moved their eyes met and Regina’s were sparkling with no specs of darkness in sight. Then she was moving close again as if gravitated, because Emma had thought she had lost her, so all the rules about etiquette and shyness flew out the window.

Regina’s eyes widened as Emma’s nose brushed against hers. Emma hesitated long enough to make sure it was okay, only closing the distance when Regina’s eyes fluttered closed in anticipation. She pushed her lips to Regina’s, and they were so soft that Emma thought she could get lost in them. She held them there until Regina sighed contently.

They pulled away slowly, eyes glued to each other. “Hi,” Emma said, her cheeks burning now the reality of what she had just done sunk in. She had _kissed _Regina, what had she been thinking?

“Hi,” Regina said, chuckling softly, then Emma remembered exactly why she had kissed Regina. She was beyond beautiful and had made a lonely orphan feel wanted and special, had been willing to die for her.

Zelena cleared her throat. “Are you guys quite finished? This place is a mess.”

Maleficent held her hand out for Regina, and she sighed with so much relief Emma saw it leave her body. “What just happened?” Maleficent asked and helped Regina to stand. Emma followed suit.

“The candle went out already,” Emma said.

“And the darkness?” Maleficent asked.

“Gone,” Regina said.

She slipped her hand into Emma’s, their fingers twining together. And Emma felt like she could breath again. It felt so nice that Emma squeezed Regina’s hand and smiled like an idiot. “How?” she asked.

“You little minx,” Zelena said, crossing her arms. “How exactly did you find yourself true love in the middle of all of this?”

Maleficent shook her head in disbelief but was smiling despite herself. Emma had never quite believed in the concept of true love, and she didn’t know what the chances of this happening were. Perhaps there really was something called fate. All Regina did was roll her eyes and wink at Emma.

The door creaked open, interrupting their moment. “Emma?” Ruby said tentatively, and the sound of her voice reminded Emma of one other person. She glanced quickly at Regina then stiffly turned and followed Ruby from the cabin.

Belle was sat on the porch, and beside her, Mary Margaret lay on her side, unmoving. Emma swallowed thickly, trying to tell herself that she should be happy she had gotten what she had wanted, but seeing her so still caused a sharp pain in her chest.

“Emma?” Mary Margaret said.

The cat remained lifeless, and it took Emma a moment to look around her. In front of the cabin stood the faint form of a woman with a pixie haired cut. “Mary Margaret?” she asked, and the woman nodded with a gentle smile on her face.

Emma moved closer to her, but stopped when she realised they wouldn’t be able to hug. Mary Margaret placed her hand on Emma’s cheek, and though she couldn’t feel it, the gestured was nice all the same.

“Thank you,” she said. “For lighting the candle and allowing me my freedom.”

“I won’t forget you,” Emma said.

“Nor me you.”

A small boy called _mama _and although Emma couldn’t see where the boy was, Mary Margaret’s eyes widened, and Emma knew that it was time for her to go. So, with one final look, Mary Margaret turned around then disappeared from view.

Emma felt all alone, until arms snaked around her waist from behind. “We’ve got you,” Regina said, and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck.

Maleficent placed a hand on her shoulder, “We do.”

“Yeah, blondie—” Zelena winked. “You have a family now. Though you might want to reconsider this particular one.”

Regina just squeezed Emma, plonking her chin on her shoulder. “She has everything she needs,” she said, and for once, Emma couldn’t debate it.

“I’m going to need therapy,” Ruby said, and Belle laughed heartily. The pair came to stand with them, completing the group.

Belle winked. “And you said magic wasn’t real.”

“I still can’t believe that,” Regina said. “I think Zelena’s nickname for you is accurate.”

“Hey!” Emma twisted her head and was rewarded with a quick kiss. It caused her to forget what she had been complaining about in favour of snuggling into Regina’s arms, finally feeling like she’d found home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: minor character death, neither Regina or Emma, and if you've seen the movie this might be a little obvious. (Re: spoiler... she's currently an animal).


	12. Chapter 12

Epilogue

“Wait a hot minute,” Zelena said. “All this time you could have disconnected me and Mal from the spell, then why didn’t you do that in the first place?!”

Regina arched a brow then flicked Zelena between her eyes. “The candle’s magic kept you alive, it was only when—”

“The candle was about to go out that you could disconnect us,” Maleficent finished.

“Yes,” Regina said. “But we’re getting off track.”

“Want me to write that part down too?” Emma asked, shuffling her chair up to her desk. With the three witches and two friends squished in her dorm room it had become considerably uncomfortable.

“Perhaps later,” Regina said. “We need to fill in the other gaps first.”

Zelena jumped herself up onto Emma’s desk, so her legs dangled over the edge. “_I _wasn’t the one getting in trouble,” Zelena said. “Or at least, I never got caught.”

Her smirk made Emma sit back and regard her. “Do you… want me to add something about that in here too?” she asked, wondering how she was going to fit all of it into her maximum word count. At first she’d thought asking for their help with her story had been a fantastic idea. What she hadn’t counted on was how all three of them were stubborn and wanted to be the centre of attention.

“What in the world have we missed?” Maleficent asked. “I dread to think what you got up to.”

“I bedded a few women in my time,” Zelena said, with a self-satisfied grin. Regina grabbed Emma’s pillow and whacked her over the head with it. She laughed and batted her away. “It’s not my fault you were stupid enough to write it down!”

“You like women?” Belle asked, practically gasping from where she and Ruby had huddled up on Emma’s bed. Ruby nudged her arm. “What? This is important information.”

“You interested?” Zelena asked and this only made Ruby glare harder.

“She’s taken,” Ruby reminded her, which made Belle chuckle under her breath.

“Maybe I should just write about how super gay you all were?” Emma suggested, because it seemed very pertinent and an important part of the history she was documenting.

Regina sighed, “There are more important things, dear.”

Emma was about to argue, but thought up something better. She leant over and pressed her lips against Regina’s, holding them there until Regina sighed. “You sure?” she asked.

A pillow came down on her head next, so Emma ducked and fell back into her chair. “Yes,” Regina said. “Stop trying to distract me.” Emma held up her hands. “So, we’ve established Zelena’s ‘innocence’ and how she was only supposed to help us escape before returning to her life.”

“The fire was intended as a distraction,” Maleficent said. “And that awful tree needed to go. It was supposed to give us a head start so we could flee, but once it got out of hand, we decided to stay behind and heal those that we could.”

“Then that—” Regina gritted her teeth, placing a hand on Emma’s shoulder. “Mary Margaret found us whilst we were in the process of gathering our things together and healing those who had been burnt.”

“So Regina came up with the grand plan to light the candle and perform the spell, conveniently leaving out the murder part,” Zelena said.

Regina shrugged, “It worked out, didn’t it?”

Emma glanced up and smiled. It had worked out great as far as she could see. “Perfect,” she said, and Regina leaned forwards and kissed her softly again.

“You’re worse than us.” Ruby said jokingly.

When Regina pulled back Emma glanced at Maleficent. They shared a soft look, because yes, it had worked out almost perfectly. “Anyway,” Emma said. “I have this piece to write, and erm, you never explained how your heart changed.”

Regina glanced around the room nervously before focusing on Emma. “You made me feel,” she said simply. “With the darkness in my heart it shouldn’t have been possible, but each instant that you would make me feel something, another part of that darkness faded.”

Emma stared at her, because when put like that, it sounded like maybe _true love _was real after all. Whether she could bring herself to believe in it didn’t matter, not when there was actual proof in front of her eyes.

“Damn sis,” Zelena said. “Sounds like fate pushed you two together.”

Regina tucked a piece of hair behind Emma’s ear, looking at her with so much love in her eyes, Emma didn’t know what to do with it. No one had ever looked at her like that before. “Perhaps,” Regina said softly, and all of Emma’s doubts faded away. 

* * *

Regina appeared at her dorm room wearing slacks and a loose shirt. Stood in the open door, Emma gawked whilst her mouth moved like a goldfish. “Oh, it looks bad, doesn’t it?” Regina asked, tugging at her pants before looking quizzically up at Emma.

“No!” Emma defended. “I mean no,” she said a little calmer. “You look great. Really.” Especially the hair; it was shorter now, with layers; when Regina had immerged from the hair salon with her new hairdo Emma had almost fallen over.

This stopped Regina’s fussing. She leant her hand against the door frame, other hand on her hip and smirked. “Then are you going to let me inside?” she asked, all sultry and it made Emma shiver.

Regina sat herself in the corner of Emma’s bed, her legs outstretched. Once her laptop was booted up and Emma had successfully loaded a movie, she shuffled herself next to Regina and placed the laptop between them. The entire side of Emma’s body was pressed up against Regina’s, but her bed was so small she couldn’t give them more space, not that she particularly wanted to either. It suited her just fine.

“Ready?” Emma asked.

Regina touched her finger against the screen of the laptop then nodded. Her foot brushed lightly against Emma’s as the movie began. The contact made Emma jittery, but she shoved her nerves down and told herself to enjoy this.

“This isn’t real?” Regina asked in bewilderment. “But it seems so—”

“The people are real,” Emma clarified. “Like the camera on my phone?” Regina nodded, her brows knitted together. “Someone writes a script, a story, and these people act it out in front of a camera. Then it gets edited to make a movie.”

Regina nodded slowly. She was beginning to grasp the new technology, but it was slow going. There were a few days last week where she out right refused to leave the cabin, claiming the world was too big and loud and overwhelming. But Regina, along with her sisters, were slowly getting acclimatised to this world.

Part way through the movie Regina’s hand snaked to Emma’s thigh, her fingers lightly brushing up and down, even skirting to the inside. Emma tried and failed to concentrate on the movie, but her stomach was twisting rather pleasantly.

Emma tipped her head sideways, resting it on Regina’s shoulder. It felt so nice being close to her that she almost forgot about watching the movie and closed her eyes. The thigh on her hand moved so Regina could place an arm around Emma, her fingers coming up to tangle in Emma’s hair. And before Emma could spend half a second being disappointed now her leg felt bare, Regina reached her other hand over and began her stroking again.

After that, Emma’s breathing became slightly erratic. She felt as if she was snuggled in a warm cocoon, safe and secure, and she didn’t want this movie to end in case this would, but her toes were curling and she shuffled uncomfortably.

“Are you okay?” Regina whispered.

Emma nodded, not trusting her voice. She was more than okay, if not very aware of where her body met Regina’s and those dam fingers that were gripping lightly onto her leg. Emma hit the space button and the movie paused, and she just grabbed the thing and practically shoved it onto her desk.

When she turned back around, Regina’s eyes were focused solely on her. “Are you sure this is okay?” Regina asked and Emma nodded enthusiastically.

“Screw the movie,” Emma said, and this made Regina’s lips part in a wide smile.

Slowly, Regina titled herself forwards and Emma thought for certain she was done for. Their noses brushed first then those plump lips pushed against her own and held.

Emma sighed, snaking a hand over the back of Regina’s neck. Regina parted her lips and Emma followed suit, shivering when the tip of Regina’s tongue brushed her lips. They’d hardly started and this was already the best kiss Emma had ever experienced. Her fingers tightened in Regina’s hair and this only encouraged Regina to snake her tongue completely inside her mouth.

Emma moaned, squeezing her thighs together, then curled her tongue around Regina’s. It felt fucking fantastic. They broke the kiss long enough for Emma to shuffle herself downwards and plonk her head on the pillow. “Regina,” she husked, and those eyes got impossibly darker.

“Still okay?” Regina asked, softly brushing the back of her knuckles over Emma’s cheek. When Emma nodded, she half leant herself over Emma’s body, one of her hands running down Emma’s toned stomach before kissing her again.

Emma’s hips bucked up, and where she thought she’d feel embarrassed, she only kissed Regina harder. Being with her was magical, her entire body hummed pleasurably, and she was aware of everywhere Regina was and wasn’t touching her. Especially the fingers that ran along the waist band of her leggings.

Automatically, her legs parted as far as the material would allow, giving Regina the confirmation she needed. When the hand slipped inside and Regina pressed two fingers down, Emma squeezed her eyes shut and moaned, pulling Regina out for a long drawn out kiss whilst she was slowly brought to ecstasy. 

* * *

Regina was waiting outside her dorm room when Emma rushed out with her bag on her shoulder and the story she had written tucked inside. The nerves she’d been feeling vanished at spotting Regina’s smile. “Is it stupid to be this scared?” Emma asked and showed Regina her shaking fingers.

Regina pulled her in for a long kiss, relaxing Emma’s entire body. “You’re going to do amazing,” she said. “I’ve heard an A is the desired outcome.”

“You’re still mad about the C Belle gave you, aren’t you?” Emma asked.

“I am not mediocre, she asked ridiculous questions.”

Emma leaned in for another kiss knowing it would make Regina feel a little better. “I’ll help you study for your make-up test,” she offered. Belle was doing a surprisingly great job at teaching them the things they needed to know. And Ruby had been attempting to forge some documents for them and had apparently bribed someone who worked with computers to make them a footprint. There were a lot of details yet to figure out; where would they work, where would they fit; a lot was still unknown, but it was a start.

They walked out of the building hand in hand. Outside the other two witches waited and gave Emma an array of encouragements and pointers along the way to her class.

“Please mention how stunningly beautiful I am,” Zelena said. “It’s utterly relevant to the story.”

“I’ll slip it in there,” Emma said. Regina coughed and raised her brows. “For all of you.”

Outside the campus building Maleficent squeezed her shoulders and offered up an encouraging smile. Regina pressed her lips to her cheek. Zelena winked, “Good luck blondie.” And just having this support allowed the nerves to die down.

During class Ruby gave her a thumbs up when she walked towards the front of the room. This was an important moment and it made her jittery. August had sent out an email asking for volunteers to read out their stories, and where Emma would have usually deleted the email, just this once, she had jumped at the chance.

Even if the class believed it was a work of fiction, those three women deserved their voices to be told. That would start with Emma. She turned to the class, looking out at the swarm of students.

“Whenever you’re ready, Emma,” August said.

Emma nodded then faced the class. “Throughout—” she swallowed, her voice catching in her throat. Her cheeks heated up, but she took a breath and reminded herself she could do this. Even if her fingers trembled where they were clutched onto the edge of the paper. She owed it to them and with that knowledge she took a calming breath.

Emma smiled out at the class. “Throughout history women have been wrongfully vilified and this is particularly true for the infamous Mills Sisters. Three hundred years ago there lived three magnificent women, and this is their story.”


End file.
